The Bellevue Police Department awarded Officer Jim Bartley the annual honor of the Officer of the Year for 2017 at their banquet last weekend.
This honorable award is given in recognition of one Officer who has performed exceptionally throughout the year. The Officer of the Year award is particularly meaningful because the selection is made by the Officers peers, who serve on the Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee.
In April of 2017, the Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee selected Officer Bartley as Officer of the 1st Quarter. Officer Bartley was commended for his immediate action and tactics which ended what could have been a serious assault or homicide at the location of New Life Thrift Stores. On 3-21-17, Officer Bartley heard a disturbance in the parking lot and exited the store to investigate. Officer Bartley observed two men on the ground fighting and a female screaming nearby. Both men were actively swinging and punching each other. Officer Bartley identified himself as a police officer and the men continued to fight. Officer Bartley observed one suspect was holding a long steak knife in his hand. Officer Bartley was able to contain the suspect and eventually the suspect dropped the knife. The suspect was safely taken into custody and there were no serious injuries involved.
Officer Bartley was also recognized by the Committee for his long-time leadership of the K9 Unit. He had recently trained several new PSD (Patrol Service Dog) Handlers and their PSD partners.
Officer Bartley has been with the Bellevue Police Department since June of 1992. He has primarily worked in the Operations Division as a uniformed officer and PSD Handler. In 1995, Ofc. Bartley began training other Officers to become a PSD Handler and the on-going training and certification, of the actual service dogs themselves.
To date, Ofc. Bartley is recognized as an expert in his field and has personally trained numerous Handlers and their PSD partners around the entire State of Nebraska. Officer Bartley is always willing to assist in a time of need and is an all-around great Officer who consistently serves with Courage and Integrity.
The City of Bellevue would like to congratulate Officer Bartley on this prestigous award and thank you for all you do for the Bellevue Community!