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NIJO wishes to extend our congratulations to the following award recipients.
OFFICER OF THE YEAR
Corrections Deputy Ashton Merando Crawford County Sheriff's Office, KS

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
Corey Hanley Barrow County Sheriff's Office, GA

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR
Sergeant Donnell Carter Mobile County Sheriff's Office, AL

DETENTION ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR
Jail Commander Ed Roach Parke County Sheriff's Office, IN

DEDICATION TO EXCELLENCE AWARD (aka Overworked and Underpaid Award)
The "Dedication to Excellence" Award is awarded to a detention officer, supervisor, or administrator who in the past year has gone above and beyond normal expectations by working extra hours, making extra effort to ensure the safety and security of staff members, inmates, and the general public.Corporal Valerie Bryant Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, TX
We received 5 nominations for the recipient of the Dedication to Excellence Award! Suffice it to say that Corporal Valerie Bryant is the epitome of being dedicated to excellence!
DISTINGUISHED VALOR
Corrections Deputy Aaron Grace Roscommon County Sheriff's Office, MI

NIJO PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
The National Institute for Jail Operations developed the Professional Certification Program in response to the need to provide a respected national certification for individuals looking for a process that involved legal-based curriculum by an organization which supports and defends their agencies’ worthy goals and objectives. NIJO Professional Certification is a professional designation - earned not issued - for jail and detention officers, supervisors, administrators and sheriffs who have demonstrated to possess the requisite understanding, knowledge, skills, experience and abilities to function to a specific level. Achieving NIJO Certification is a significant accomplishment and reflects intense training, effort, experience and comprehension proving that an individual confidently knows and can follow clearly established laws and procedures in fulfilling his or her duties within a correctional facility.
National Certified Corrections Executive (NCCE) Certification was awarded to the following individuals:
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Lieutenant Tammy Waddell
Limestone County Sheriff's Office, AL

Lieutenant Brad Fetner
Livingston County Sheriff's Office, MI

Lieutenant Tarneseia Pringle
Livingston County Sheriff's Office, MI
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James Chipp
Box Elder County Sheriff's Office, UT

Scott Hargis
Duchesne County Sheriff's Office, UT
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National Certified Corrections Supervisor (NCCS) Certification was awarded to the following individuals:
Colorado
Shawn Patrick French Montezuma County Sheriff's Office Deputy Isaiah R. Begayne JohnsonMontezuma County Sheriff's Office
Kansas
Joseph Norman Brill III Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Victor Burr Coffey County Sheriff's OfficeMichigan
Sergeant Heather L. Mitcavish Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office Deputy J. Wood Grand Traverse County Sheriff's OfficeMissouri
George Gresham Boone County Sheriff's Office Stephanie Kopp Boone County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Christie McCaleb Boone County Sheriff's Office Trevor Murphy Boone County Sheriff's Office Eric Tobben Boone County Sheriff's OfficeSouth Carolina
Sergeant Scott R. McDermott Lexington County Sheriff's OfficeUtah
Sandra Barfuss Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Dale F. Bingham Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Deputy Kendell Hyer Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Amber L. Jones Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Zachary Miller Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Corporal Dave Nicholls Box Elder County Sheriff's Office J. Kevin Ward Box Elder County Sheriff's OfficeHeading section

National Certified Corrections Officer (NCCO) Certification was awarded to the following individuals:
Alabama
Lieutenant Latonya Chames Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Cassady Coleman Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Cody Davis Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Falon C. Hurst Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Michael McCaffrey Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Kimberly Mears Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Lynde Meeder Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Jordan Shekels Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Skyler Smith Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Captain Eric Starr Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Jordan Zarouali Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Latonya Chames Calhoun County Sheriff's OfficeArizona
Ronnie Calton La Paz County Sheriff's OfficeColorado
Heather Lanus Montezuma County Sheriff's Office Deputy Heather Stowe Montezuma County Sheriff's OfficeGeorgia
Detention Supervisor Kimberly Funderberg Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff Pamela Michele Vash Forsyth County Sheriff's OfficeKansas
Bryan V. Gentet Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Samantha Hinkle Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Kyle Hunt Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Connie Jaderborg Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Lisa Marie Sawyer Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Connie E. Timbrook Dickinson County Sheriff's OfficeMichigan
Todd Harger Kalkaska County Sheriff's OfficeUtah
Deputy C. Buckley Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Stacie Chatterton Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Corporal Zachary Harris Box Elder County Sheriff's Office Joshua H. Christensen Duchesne County Sheriff's Office Paula J. Gilbert Duchesne County Sheriff's Office Deputy C. Woodhouse Duchesne County Sheriff's Office Logan Monsen Uintah County Sheriff's OfficeHeading section
NIJO ACCREDITATION
NIJO Accreditation is an established process for correctional administrators to verify and be recognized nationally as compliant to what the law requires to run a constitutionally safe facility. As the only such accreditation in the country, NIJO promulgates over 600 Legal-Based GuidelinesTM specific to each state, to ensure that detention and correctional facilities comply with current legal requirements applicable to each state, circuit court and federal rulings and statutes. Achieving accreditation is not a walk in the park. It requires legal-based policies and procedures, documentation and consistency on all levels.NIJO is pleased to recognize three agencies that have achieved Accreditation or have repeated their accreditation cycle.
Pennington County Sheriff's Office, SD
We would like to congratulate and recognize Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota. Led by Commander Rob Yantis, this amazing team and facility worked diligently and furiously to update their policies and procedures to what the law requires to achieve a Level I Accreditation status, the highest NIJO Accreditation status available. Congratulations on all your hard work and well-earned accreditation Pennington County Jail!

