JANESVILLE — Rock County deputies, correctional officers, employees and county residents were honored Wednesday night at the 17th annual Rock County Sheriff’s Office Awards ceremony.
The event was held at the Dr. Daniel Hale Williams Resource Center on 1717 Center Ave.
The 2023 award recipients included deputy of the year, correctional officer of the year, civilian employee of the year, retired sheriff’s leadership award, lifesaving award, sheriff’s award, commendations and a citizen’s awards. The event was open to the public.
Family members, city, county and some state elected officials were in attendance to watch people be recognized for their hard work and dedication to the community.
Rock County Circuit Judge Barbara McCrory was the keynote speaker, sharing that as part of her job she sees the people that deputies first interact with.
She said she watches their dash cameras and body cameras, so she knows how respectful and community-minded the officers are. She said Rock County officers exemplify the word integrity.
Sheriff Curt Fell told The Gazette that the awards offer a chance for family and community members to see what their loved ones and peers go through and the hard work they perform to help keep the county safe.
“A lot of people work very hard to be able to do their jobs and they step up and to an extreme amount; they deserve to be recognized,” Fell said. “I think it also provides a good opportunity for our employees to let their families come and show appreciation; families are a big part of everybody that’s here. They are a part of that foundation.”
Fell also said he is very appreciative of the work that the departments do and all that the county does to help support them.
Retired Sheriffs Leadership Award
Sgt. Jay Williams received the Retired Sheriffs Leadership Award. Williams began his career at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office on March 2, 1998, as a deputy sheriff and was integral in establishing the Diversion and Electronic Monitoring Programs. He was promoted to sergeant on April 18, 2011. For the past 12 years, Williams has worked in the Community Corrections Bureau as the Rock County Education and Criminal Addictions Program (RECAP) supervisor and drug court administrator/coordinator.
Williams received this award for his instrumental role in building the Community Corrections Programs.
“His expertise is invaluable, and he will be greatly missed upon his upcoming retirement,” the award read.
Williams told The Gazette that his last day will be June 7 and said he is looking forward to it. He said he is not completely sure what he is going to do but his wife has a wedding business in Cambridge, and he has a job for him.
He said it feels good to get an award but he really enjoys that the hard work and energy of a lot of people and teams was being celebrated.
He said his work with RECAP programs and working with inmates showed him that people make mistakes, but always deserve to be treated humanely.
“Every one of us is just a step away from making the same decisions,” he said. “There are bad family relationships and trauma and all kinds of things that cause people to do what they do but they are human beings and they deserve to be treated like anyone else.”
Commendations and other awards
Captain Mark Thompson was one of several people who were awarded commendations Wednesday night.
On Feb. 8, a historic EF2 tornado touched down several times in the northwest section of Rock County. Thompson was off duty in his personal vehicle when he noticed the storm coming in. He witnessed a tornado form and touch down three times.
Thompson traveled north, trailing the tornado toward his subdivision. He stopped at his home to check on his family, and then checked on other homes in the area. He found trees and power lines down over the roads as well as strewn debris from destroyed buildings.
“Thompson put himself in danger to render aid if necessary to individuals whose homes were severely damaged. He provided status updates to the Rock County 911 Communications Center to assist in coordinating resources. Thompson assisted these resources as they arrived. He showed courage, resourcefulness, and a commitment to duty during this crisis,” the commendation reads.
Thompson said he knew he needed to help that night. He added that appreciates being recognized but he didn’t go into the job for awards or recognition; he did it to help people.
He said he is grateful for the people who assisted him that night and it could have been much worse, and said he is thankful no one was seriously hurt.
Other award recipients included
Deputy of the Year: Matthew MichalskiCorrectional Officer of the Year: Craig WebergCivilian Employee of the Year: Lindsey BittorfLifesaving Award: Nicholas SimlerSheriff’s Award: Verenice SandovalUnit Citation: Det. Ross Wenger, Deputy Margaret Albeck, Deputy Zachary Anacker, Deputy Ryan Bittorf, Deputy Kyle Hathorn and Deputy Garrett WhiteheadCitizen Award: John KopeckyComendations: Financial Office Supervisor Michelle Wilson and Payroll Specialist Lucia Esquivel; Deputy Logan Shelby; Sgt. Allen Peters
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