2017 Officer of the Year

Distinguished Service Medal recipient Sergeant Stefan Davis was selected as the 2017 Officer of the Year. Sergeant Davis was honored for his handling of an incident in which an inmate at the Pottawattamie County Correctional Facility overpowered two deputies escaping in a transport vehicle. Both deputies were shot, and sadly, one of the officers later succumbed to his injuries at an Omaha trauma center. The suspect could not be allowed to escape and potentially endanger the public. The tragic beginning of this incident ended with the secure apprehension of a dangerous suspect. In this case, the likelihood of a deadly force encounter was extremely high, but Sergeant Davis commanded the armed suspect to surrender, successfully taking him into custody. For handling the pursuit and arrest with professionalism and bravery, Davis was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and for his heroic efforts at great personal risk to himself, he was also honored as the 2017 Officer of the Year.

The Omaha Police Foundation also presented a Community Impact Award to the OPD Forensics Unit for its efforts to elevate the Department’s labs through national accreditation. Captain Ed Reyes accepted the award on the Unit’s behalf.