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Politics & Government

Milton Detective Receives 2011 Officer of the Year Award

Detective Barry was honored by the mayor and City Council for his work.

Detective Kevin Barry is the first recipient of Milton's Officer of the Year award and was honored by Mayor Joe Lockwood and council members recently.

“Detective Kevin Barry was chosen as Officer of the Year not for a single instance or case, but for his total work ethic and abilities, his dedication and willingness to go the extra mile to see cases through,” said Police Chief Deborah Harrell in a press release.

Barry was nominated by his peers and selected by command staff for his outstanding work as a detective for the city of Milton.

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The proclamation, read by Mayor Lockwood, stated "Detective Barry has preformed his duties as a Detective in a faithful and loyal manner by exhibiting his dedication to preserving the rights and security of all Milton citizens"

Many other factors were attributed to Barry receiving the 2011 Officer of the Year award, including his ability to bring cases to a close while demonstrating a strong work ethic as well as contributing his time and effort beyond what is required.

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"Barry is known in the department for being patient, positive and pleasant to be around, even when he’s working extremely long hours or coming in to the station in the middle of the night to arrest wanted suspects tied to his cases," said Harrell.

"Being voted Officer of the Year by my fellow officers is one of the greatest honors of my career," said Barry. "However, if it were not for their assistance, I would not have had the chance to receive this award. The combined efforts of the entire Detective Squad and Uniform Division made my accomplishments possible."

Barry said he is drawn to policing because he loves challenging work.  

"When you police, no two days will ever be the same, and you never know what to expect when you arrive at a crime scene or incident location," he said. "And policing in Milton is particularly rewarding because unlike larger jurisdictions, when an officer takes a criminal off the street, they're not likely to return.

"Being able to make a difference is why we do this job."

Jason Wright, Milton's communications manager, contributed to this report.

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