A group of five officers at the University Police Department (UPD) have been awarded for their services to the community of Southeastern.
Scott Huff has been named The Officer of the Year for the UPD by a group of fellow officers. Along with Huff, Sergeant Erica Welter were given a Merit Award. Lieutenant Patrick Gipson, Sergeant Carmen Bray and Sergeant Chris Durham won the Chief’s Award for Excellence.
Both Huff and Welter were able to assist in the arrest and recovery of stolen property, helping solve a string of stolen vehicle cases. The two received a radio description of a vehicle reportedly stolen and were able to spot the vehicle and recover its license plate number.
“That information that they obtained basically off duty helped in the arrest and recovery of stolen property,” said Captain Mike McGill. “We don’t have much crime on campus, but, since this is a felony, it is a very big deal when this rewarded.”
One of three who won the annual Chief’s Award of Excellence, Gipson has been working at the UPD for almost 15 years.
“Working for a university is different than working for any other type of police department or sheriff’s office,” said Gipson. “It takes a special kind of attitude. You have to be able to handle things differently than you would at other