Jay’s note: Jamie Friend is one of my best friends and he is a true hero! Incredible person, awesome father/husband and just a salt of the earth guy. And he’s a Marine 🙂
From Staff Reports
OAKLAND — Garrett County Sheriff Rob Corley has announced that Deputy First Class Jamie Friend has been named as his 2013 Deputy of the Year.
Each year, the Elks Lodge hosts a celebration to recognize various community members, students, law enforcement and fire and emergency medical service professionals who exceed their daily duties.
Corley selected Friend, a seven-year veteran of the department, as his honoree representative to the Elks Lodge based on Friend’s outstanding work ethic and commitment to public safety.
The sheriff also announced the promotion of various deputies, in-cluding Capt. Chris Helbig (patrol); Lt. Daniel Duggan (judicial); Lt. Clark Warnick (school resource); Sgt. Aaron Wilson (patrol); Sgt. Erik Geroski (patrol); Cpl. Dave McLaughlin (judicial); and Cpl. Dave Teet (investigations).
Also during 2013, numerous deputies were awarded by the Maryland Highway Safety Office for their outstanding work in traffic enforcement. Deputies First Class Colt Ruby and Adam Rounds were awarded the Smooth Operator Award in October for their dedication to traffic enforcement.
Friend and Deputies First Class Curtis O’Neal and Brad Palmer were awarded the DUI Enforcement Award in October for their efforts in drunken driving arrests.
Friend was also awarded the Purple Star and Medal of Valor from the National Sheriff’s Association. Rounds and Deputy First Class Nat Bittinger were also recognized by the NSA, each with a Medal of Valor award. All three deputies were recognized by the NSA for their bravery after Friend was stabbed during an incident at a local housing complex in November. Rounds and Bittinger were on the scene and assisted with the call.
Corley also said that Bittinger and Deputies Dustin Lewis and Bryan Ridder graduated from the police academy in July. Lewis previously was a dispatcher at the Garrett County 911 center and Ridder and Bittinger were correctional officers in the Garrett County Detention Center prior to be-coming deputies.
