From the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office:
The 20^th Annual Lincoln County Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet (LERB) was held on Friday, May 20, 2016, at the Best Western, Agate Beach Inn. This annual event pays tribute to local law enforcement for their hard work, dedication and commitment to serving the citizens of Lincoln County.

DUII and MIP Enforcement Awards: The Partnership Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (PAADA) presented this year’s DUII Enforcers of the Year awards to Trooper Scott Severson (Oregon State Police), Officer Brad Purdom (Newport Police Department), Deputy Cody Tadlock (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office), Officer Shawn Carter (Lincoln City Police Department) and Detective Aaron Pitcher (Toledo Police Department). PAADA also presented the MIP Enforcers of the Year award to Deputy Cody Tadlock of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Runner-up MIP Enforcers of the year were Officer Kraig Mitchell (Newport Police Department), Officer Zachary Rigg (Lincoln City Police Department) and Detective Aaron Pitcher (Toledo Police Department).

Agency Awards: The following agency awards were presented:

• Lincoln City Police Department:
  • Officer of the Year: Officer Jayne Johnson.
  • Civilian Employee of the Year: Tami Williams.
  • 25 Years of Service Awards: Sergeant Randy Weaver, Sergeant Jeffrey Winn, and Senior Officer Craig Grabenhorst.
  • Retirement: Senior Officer Steven Dodds.

• Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, Employee of the Year:
  • Deputy District Attorney Joseph Allison.
  • Senior Legal Teresa Canfield

• Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Employee/Volunteer of the Year:
  • Jail: Corporal Josh McDowall.
  • Patrol: Deputy Eric Larson.
  • Animal Shelter: Sue Giles-Miller.
  • Support Services: Brittney Hillman.
  • 20 Years of Service Award: Rick Ballentine.
  • Volunteers: Susan Molina and Susan Swander.

• Lincoln County Community Justice:
  • Parole and Probation Technician Dave Bavaro.

• Newport Police Department, Employee of the Year:
  • Officer Rick Auborn

• Oregon State Police, Employee of the Year:
  • Senior Trooper Dave Peterson.

• Willamette Valley Communications Center, Employee of the Year:
  • Communications Shift Supervisor George Long.

• Toledo Police Department, Employee of the Year:
  • Detective Aaron Pitcher.
  • Dispatcher Jovita Ballentine.
  • Volunteer: Michelle Pace.

The evening closed with this year’s induction into the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Hall of Honor, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Community.

Nominations for Hall of Honor candidates are accepted through each agency’s LERB Committee member and a complete biography of their law enforcement contributions and accomplishments is the application.  After reviewing all of the biographies, each year a selection is made by the LERB Committee, which consists of members from each agency, and represents a broad spectrum of law enforcement professionals. The award is symbolized with a permanent plaque placed in the hallway of the first floor of the Lincoln County Courthouse.

Past recipients of the award have included Rob Bovett, Mark Fandry, Ernie Hanson, Ralph Turre, Maria Waldrip, John Meister, Christie Meister, Mike Menzies, Vangie Eisenbarth, Dave Bavaro, John O’Brien, Mark Huber, Jim Hawley, Steve Tolliver, and Larry Spencer.

The 2016 Inductee into the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Hall of Honor: Sheriff Dennis Dotson, presented by Lieutenant Curtis Landers.

Lincoln County Sheriff Dennis Dotson has served in law enforcement for 41 years. In Lincoln County, he served with the Oregon State Police for 12 ½ years as an OSP Commander and began his career as Lincoln County Sheriff in 2003 when he was first appointed in August of that year. He was elected in 2004 and re-elected again both in 2008 and 2012.

While working as the OSP Newport area commander, Sheriff Dotson was the Lincoln Interagency Narcotics Team (LINT) supervisor.  This team solved a countless number of drug cases and wasrecognized with several awards for their accomplishments in this area.

Sheriff Dotson currently serves on numerous  Oregon State Sheriff’s Office (OSSA) committees. He is also very active in the legislative committee and has helped provide guidance and an innovative approach to changing a number of laws to enhance law enforcement’s ability to do their job more efficiently in reducing crime, not only in Lincoln County, but statewide.

Sheriff Dotson was instrumental in revising a statute to allow for online Sheriff’s sales. This service makes it easier for citizens to view Sheriff’s sales statewide, listed by county.  Not only does this make it more convenient for the public, but it also provides funding for OSSA that is well over a million dollars.