The Village of Bethel Police Department has named its first Officer of the Year. Pictured, Rick Haas, known as “Gunny,” has been named the 2022 Officer of the year. Photo provided.
The Village of Bethel Police Department has named its first Officer of the Year.
Rick Haas, known as “Gunny,” has been named the 2022 Officer of the year.
Haas received his award during the Bethel Village Council meeting on Feb. 9
Bethel Chief of Police Chad R. Essert explained the origins of the local award.
“This is the first of its kind here at Bethel Police Department. When I started in late November 2021, I immediately saw a need to recognize great police officers,” Essert said in an email with The Sun. “I started an awards program for 2022 to include an “Officer of the Year.”
Essert explained the judging process for the award. He said that he used a three-tiered system:
1. Disciplinary issues for the year: Did the officer have a policy violation or citizen complaint, and if so, what was the issue and finding?
2. Overall attitude while working: Is the officer, positive, and works well with community members, other officers, and employees of the Village?
3. Each member of the police department gets to vote on who they felt best represents the spirit of the department.
Essert shared that Haas started with the Bethel Police in January 2022.
“He quickly gains the respect of the officers and employees. A true leader, helping senior officers shift some focus and helping new officers become great,” Essert said.
Notably, Gunny made more than 700 traffic stops last year and accounted for 43 percent of total citations issued for the BPD.
“With all of that, not one formal complaint was filed against him,” Essert said. “In fact, our clerk receives countless compliments on his professionalism when people come to payout their fines.”
He added, “Gunny received an overwhelming vote by his peers for this award.”