MOUNT VERNON – Justin Willis and Rex Young were recognized last week for outstanding service to the Mount Vernon Police Department at the annual recognition ceremony.
Willis, is the recipient of the Officer of the Year award and is a four-year veteran with MVPD. He has led arrests for the department for three years straight.
“He’s the first to volunteer for overtime and the first to offer help to other officers,” said Police Chief Robert Morgan in the ceremony.
The Officer of the Year is a peer-selected award.
Young has been a Corporal with MVPD for five years and has volunteered to take on special projects for the department including “Scenario-Based Training” which includes the preparation and handling of various realistic situations aimed at providing tactical solutions to difficult situations.
Since undergoing the training, Young, has himself trained over 100 other law enforcement professionals in the curriculum. Young, was also recognized for his logistics improvements to the Independence Day Celebration.
“What’s impressive to us is that Rex has taken on these additional duties, helped us become better prepared as a unit, and he has continued to handle all of his road duties” Morgan said.
The Bartlett Award recipient is selected by the Chief and Captain based on input from the police force and named after former Police Chief Tom Bartlett.
