Memphis and Shelby County Optimist Club President Donnie Walden shook Collierville police officer Justin Weaver’s hand last week and thanked him for the work he has done in the community.
Weaver was named the recipient of the 2014 Officer of the Year award, which is given annually during Respect for Law Week by the Optimist Club.
Weaver and his family sat in the front row of the courtroom in Collierville’s Municipal Court as Mayor Stan Joyner presented his proclamation to Walden.
Walden then presented Weaver with the award, and Police Chief Larry Goodwin read aloud the letter that he wrote to nominate Officer Weaver for the honor.
“I want to read my nomination letter so that all attending today’s ceremony will have an appreciation of the accomplishments and service of Officer Weaver,” said Goodwin.
“Weaver joined the Collierville Police Department in 2008 and within a short time, he demonstrated a natural ability in the area of narcotics crime,” Goodwin continued. “Officer Weaver was later promoted to detective in the division’s Special Enforcement Unit after he had served five years as a patrolman, a strategic move in that it provided him further training in narcotics detection.”
Last April, Weaver finished training with his new partner, Rosco, a Belgian Malinois, the Collierville Police Department’s new K9.
“Weaver and Rosco have proved to be an effective team,” Goodwin noted. “Together they’ve made 99 narcotic arrests, six of which resulted in vehicle seizure.
“They’ve also made 15 arrests for other violations,” he continued, “issued 99 traffic tickets and 397 courtesy warnings, and have tracked suspects that have fled crime scenes. They’ve also assisted in 65 other arrests.”
Calling Weaver “relatively young in his law enforcement career,” Goodwin said that he is already passing on his knowledge and experience by acting as a field training officer to train new recruits.
“His willingness to pass on what he has learned, and continues to learn, is part of what makes him so valuable,” he said.
As he received his award, Weaver expressed his gratitude to the department for providing him with the opportunity to serve in Collierville and also thanked his family for their patience and support with the long hours he is away from home.
