Washington PD recognizes several officers

WASHINGTON — Washington Police Chief Jim Lester highlighted a handful of the department’s officers during his annual report to city council members on March 19.

The officer of the year for 2023 was Shamus Altenhofen. Lester said the lieutenant was the designated schedule manager, but had a habit of picking up shifts for officers needing time off, rather than calling others to cover the schedule.

He also took the reporting role in 87 of the 124 incident reports he was involved in last year, according to a municipal memo that called him “an exemplary role model for his peers and an asset to the community,” more than any other officer.

“He’s there to support them,” the police chief said. “He’s prevented a lot of overtime from going to officers away from their families by covering that himself, and there’s a lot of great work being done there.”

Lester also gave commendations to Investigator Brian VanWilligen, who has served as a drug recognition expert for over a decade, and Sergeant Benjamin Altenhofen, who built a field training program for the year, and led three other officers through it.

The department also announced a new commendation at the meeting: a “rookie of the year” award, which recognized Officer Mia Brdecka, who joined the force in June of 2022.

“She has exceeded our expectations in the first year of being on the street, she is always volunteering to grab shifts, be involved in community events, and we appreciate the work that she does,” Lester said.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com