Officer of the Year 2008 – Investigator Gennie R. Smith
Within the past year, Investigator Gennie Smith has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to duty and performance as an integral part of the Investigations Division. Investigator Smith is the epitome of a “Team Player” and this is witnessed in this person’s strong ability and ambition to assist others. Her talents and efforts are witnessed every day, not only in cases worked, but also the overall objective to accomplish what was started, no matter how much time it would take. Investigator Smith takes on new assignments without hesitation and realizes every case that is assigned is vital to clear/solve, not only for self, but most importantly the victim. She was instrumental in developing a close relationship with The Medical College of Virginia and Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s. This has provided the police department a wealth of resources to investigate crimes involving children of the County. This has proven to be beneficial to the victim and the family in coping with the investigation.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, along with Child Protective Services, relies on Investigator Smith’s expert approach in investigating cases. On several occasions, she has been specifically asked for by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to investigate cases. She has a true talent for interviewing children that have been victims of either sexual assault or physical abuse. She has also accomplished many successful interviews with alleged suspects. She has a no-nonsense approach in getting to the truth of what may or may not have occurred. She is always willing and eager to assist anyone that requires it and has spent many long hours beyond her regular duty hours to ensure a case is investigated properly. She often put her work aside to help other investigators and officers. She is often sought out by patrol officers for guidance on how to proceed with an investigation. She monitors the police radio and has been seen running out of the Law Enforcement Center to assist patrol officers in need. She makes herself available to assist other investigators with their cases after hours and she makes an effort to stay current with all the major cases in James City County and the surrounding jurisdictions.
Investigator Smith serves as a negotiator for the Police Department, working closely with the SWAT team to resolve volatile situations. She has performed these duties in an exemplary manner. She has also taken the initiative to explore training opportunities to keep the team proficient and ready to respond. She willingly takes charge in absence of leadership. On several occasions, she was asked to be the Officer in Charge at crime scenes and she performed these without hesitation and with minimal guidance.
In summary, Investigator Smith has demonstrated great dedication and pride in the police department and is recognized for her conduct. She has done all of the aforementioned things and still maintains one of the highest clearance rates in the Investigations Division, even while having worked primarily alone for most of the year.
It is for these and many other reasons that Investigator Gennie Smith has been selected as the 2008 Officer of the Year for the James City County Police Department. Investigator Smith represents the best of what is expected of a James City County Police Officer and is recognized for her efforts and outstanding service to the community.
Officer of the Year 2007 – Officer Robert P. McKenzie
Throughout the course of the past year, Officer Robert P. McKenzie has accomplished several things that distinguish him among his peers. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Police Department and the community alike. He routinely demonstrates a professional attitude and strong work ethic.
Officer McKenzie is among the department leaders in all areas of measured productivity. He performs best in the areas of self-initiated work. For example, he made 13 DUI arrests, compared to his shift’s average of 9. He wrote 36 parking violations, compared to his shift’s average of 7. He also conducted more than 2,000 Directed Patrols, Foot Patrols and Field Interviews while making over 50 Misdemeanor and Felony arrests.
He works diligently to patrol his assigned zone and seek out incidents that may require police action. Because of this he has been directly involved in two major incidents. First, Officer McKenzie located a stranded motorist who was in full-term labor on the phone with York County 911 who was giving birthing instructions to a family member. He was able to help with the delivery and calm the situation. Second, while on routine patrol, Officer McKenzie identified, chased, caught and arrested two juveniles that had been committing a series of vandalism and property damage crimes in a certain area. Because of his actions, a number of cases were able to be closed. Officer McKenzie also took on the leadership of the department’s Explorer Post. He has increased the number of participants as well as officers involved in the instruction of the classes. I believe this says a lot about his commitment to the community due to the fact that he has not even been a member of the police department for a full two years.
It is for these reasons that Officer Rob McKenzie has been selected as the 2007 Officer of the Year for the James City County Police Department. Officer McKenzie represents the best of what is expected of a James City County Police Officer and is recognized for his efforts and outstanding service to the community.
Officer of the Year 2006 - Senior Officer Prasit Niranont
Over the last year, Senior Officer Prasit “Nuey” Niranont (pronounced knee-ra-noon) has assumed a key role on Day Shift and within the Police Department. On a routine basis, he is above the shift averages in productivity. During the course of this year, he currently holds an exceptional 52 percent clearance rate in case files that he has been assigned – in addition, he has been assigned more cases than any other officer on the shift. On a daily basis, Senior Officer Niranont brings a professional attitude to work and is an example of what a James City County Police Officer should be.
More important are the contributions that he makes above what is expected of an officer. He is a member of the Department’s SWAT Team, a defensive tactics instructor, ASP instructor, and a Field Training Officer. While he is one of many that hold these certifications, he is one of a few that routinely accept assignments utilizing this training. He has assisted with the in-house training and post-academy training of newly hired recruits. Senior Officer Niranont is also an assistant shift supervisor in the absence of the shift Lieutenant/Sergeant. He currently is assisting with the implementation of the Mobile Field Reporting system.
Senior Officer Niranont has, for the last several years, volunteered his time to assist the Community Services Unit with National Night Out, acting as McGruff, and helping with weekend functions. He also assists with recruitment in training by attending job fairs and career days throughout the area. Moreover, Senior Officer Niranont performs all of these tasks while attending college on his own time. For these and many other reasons, Senior Officer Prasit Niranont is named the 2006 Officer of the Year.
Officer of the Year 2005 - Officer Thomas N. Johnson, Sr.
From May 2004 to May 2005, Officer Thomas Johnson lead the entire department in the number of traffic summonses issued at 321. He was second in the number of warrants served (163), misdemeanor arrests (86), and suspended drivers (45). None of the other top producing officers on the department rank higher in so many different areas of measured productivity. He accomplished this despite only working 11 months in patrol prior to transferring to the Colonial Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.
Officer Johnson is also a member the department’s SWAT Team and Honor Guard. He has been involved in several high-risk incidents and performs extremely well under stress. He received a Commendation for an incident in August where he, Officer Gary Stokes, and Officer Sterling Perry were confronted with a subject armed with two knives who talked as if he was considering putting the officers in a situation where they may have to shoot him. All of the officers in this case did an excellent job negotiating (face-to-face) with this individual and showed a great deal of restraint.
Officer Johnson is also well respected in the community and among other officers. He maintains an excellent attitude and will do anything that is asked of him without hesitation or complaint. His work ethic, calm demeanor, reliability and high degree of professionalism are an example to others. He distinguishes himself as a model police officer in every possible way and is worthy of the honor of James City County’s 2005 Police Officer of the Year.