Public servants and community leaders are often thanked for their hard work, deservingly so. But first responders, while they are everywhere, are sometimes forgotten about. The District 1 Law Enforcement Council intends to reward officers for their hard work. On Wednesday, their awards ceremony and golf outing took place at Sand Creek Country Club.
The awards ceremony began first and was opened by performances from Porter County Sheriff’s Honor Guard, Lake County Sheriff’s Pipes and Drums, and a Griffith Police Officer. Alongside the ceremony was a buffet breakfast which officers enjoyed while celebrating each other’s effort and dedication.
35 officers received awards. The awards included the following: Ultimate Sacrifice, Officer of the Year, Honorable Hero, Lifetime Achievement, Above and Beyond, the Lifesaving Award, the Exemplary Service Award, the Civilian Award, and K9 Recognition.
“Unfortunately, we had an officer in Hammond who died as a result of his exposure to COVID-19,” said Greg Mance, Vice President of the District 1 Council and Police Chief of Griffith. “His family received the Ultimate Sacrifice Award in his honor. We have several awards for individuals that work above what is required of them and several distinguished service awards. Then today, Chief Hein received the Lifetime Achievement Award for all his years of service.”
Chief David Hein is the President of the District 1 Council and has now retired from his position as Dyer Police Chief.
“I’m proud to be part of the District Board,” Hein said. “It represents five counties of law enforcement and just gives everyone an opportunity to interact, depend on each other, and do some professional networking. This is my last term on the Board, so Vice President Mance is really the future.”
District 1 represents Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, and Jackson Counties. About a hundred officers, all from these counties, attended the awards event which was held in Chesterton. However, the Council rotates the venue every year so that all officers can make it to the event.
“The District is meant to highlight the professionalism of our member agencies, and the awards ceremony is a great way of doing that,” said Mance. “It reinforces the values we hold very true in the profession and gives us a chance to celebrate the officers that do this work on a daily basis.”
After the awards ceremony, officers were invited to take to the course and play a round of golf. Two groups of officers went out, with four to six in each group. They all had differing levels of experience, with some officers driving onto the green every time and others hitting obstacles on the course.
However, no officer felt out of place and no officer made fun of another for having less experience. Instead, if one officer had a bad drive, he could take his next stroke from where the golf ball of another officer landed. It kept the game fun, rather than competitive.
“The golf outing gave us an opportunity to sort of mix and socialize with the awards members and district members than earlier into the banquet,” Hein said. “The banquet was a more serious and honorable event with awards, and now we can come out here to socialize and have a great time.”
Through its awards ceremony and golf outing, the District 1 Law Enforcement Council was able to reward officers and give them a chance to have a good time.
