Attorney General Tim Griffin today honored law enforcement officers from across Arkansas at the 2023 Officer of the Year Awards luncheon. At the conclusion of the event, Griffin issued the following statement:
“The Officer of the Year Awards honor the bravery, service and unwavering commitment to others that law enforcement officers provide Arkansans every day through their noble and often thankless work.
“This year’s state Officers of the Year are Special Agent Matt Foster and Senior Corporal David Smothers of the Arkansas State Police. These two officers were responsible this year for saving a victim of human trafficking and bringing her trafficker to justice. Their courage, discernment and compassion led to a life being saved from a horrible circumstance.
“Each of our state, regional and county honorees display the very best of law enforcement. All Arkansans are indebted to our police for their steadfast commitment to keeping our communities safe—especially those we honor today who paid the ultimate price this year.
“My office remains committed to supporting and working with Arkansas’s law enforcement community to ensure they can continue to protect and serve our citizens at the highest levels of excellence and professionalism.”
Honorees are officers from each of the state’s 75 counties, five regional winners, one recipient of the Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award, four valor tributes (officers who died in the line of duty) and a pair of co-statewide Officers of the Year. This year’s honorees were:
Statewide Officers of the Year: Special Agent Matt Foster & Senior Corporal David Smothers, Arkansas State Police
Northeast Region: Lieutenant Rodney Myers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Southeast Region: Senior Special Agent Aundrae Mack, Arkansas State Police
Southwest Region: Seargent Dusty Townsend, Hope Police Department
Central Region: Seargent Corey Wilfong, Pine Bluff Police Department
Northwest Region: Special Agent Matt Foster & Senior Corporal David Smothers, Arkansas State Police
Valor Tributes: Officer Kaylen Jacobs, Earle Police Department
Detective James “Mike” Lett, Benton Police Department
Detective Paul Daniel Newell, Benton County Sheriff’s Office
Seargent Donald Scoby, Stuttgart Police Department
Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award: Officer Robyn Shoptaw, Fort Smith Police Department
Arkansas County: Captain Jeremiah Richard, Arkansas County Sheriff’s Office
Ashley County: Sergeant, School Resource Officer Catherine Carter, Hamburg Police Department
Baxter County: Corporal Lyndle Crownover, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Benton County: Trooper Zenda Staab, Arkansas State Police
Boone County: Chief Chris Graddy, Harrison Police Department
Bradley County: SRO Deputy Jason Wallace, Bradley County Sheriff’s Office
Calhoun County: Trooper First Class Justin Starnes, Arkansas State Police
Carroll County: Sergeant Cody Boren, Berryville Police Department
Chicot County: Trooper Christian Morphis, Arkansas State Police
Clark County: Deputy George Hawthorn, Clark County Sheriff’s Office
Clay County: Trooper Richard Drum, Arkansas State Police
Cleburne County: Game Warden Briston Gould, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Cleveland County: Trooper First Class TreVaughn Moore, Arkansas State Police
Columbia County: Corporal Adam Pinner, Arkansas State Police
Conway County: Agent Christopher Studdard, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections
Craighead County: Trooper First Class Tanner Middlecoff, Arkansas State Police
Crawford County: Corporal Chris Short, Arkansas State Police
Crittenden County: Trooper Garrett Byrd, Arkansas State Police
Cross County: Officer Brittney Eskridge, Wynne Police Department
Dallas County: Trooper First Class Jimmy Plyler Jr., Arkansas State Police
Desha County: Deputy Wayna Green, Desha County Sheriff’s Office
Drew County: Trooper Tyler Grant, Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol
Faulkner County: Trooper Tyler Langley, Arkansas State Police
Franklin County: Trooper First Class Mason Redding, Arkansas State Police
Fulton County: Sergeant Justin Nowlin, Arkansas State Police
Garland County: Community Supervision Officer Edward Elliott, Arkansas Department of Corrections
Grant County: Agent Kerri McBroome & Agent Randy Zimmerman, Arkansas Department of Corrections
Greene County: Special Agent Anthony Hill, Arkansas State Police
Hempstead County: Sergeant Dusty Townsend, Hope Police Department
Hot Spring County: Lieutenant Justin Buttrum & Corporal Barry Efird, Arkansas Department of Corrections
Howard County: Chief Deputy Joey Davis, Howard County Sheriff’s Office
Independence County: Special Agent Sean Riegle, Arkansas State Police
Izard County: Lieutenant Matthew Adams, Arkansas Division of Correction
Jackson County: Corporal Dustin Smith, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Jefferson County: Seargent Corey Wilfong, Pine Bluff Police Department
Johnson County: Senior Corporal David Smothers, Arkansas State Police
Lafayette County: Deputy Cameron Sundberg, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
Lawrence County: Trooper Isaac Lawson, Arkansas State Police
Lee County: Senior Special Agent Aundrae Mack, Arkansas State Police
Lincoln County: Sergeant John Fallis, Star City Police Department
Little River County: Captain Zane Butler, Ashdown Police Department
Logan County: Lieutenant Mark Walker, Logan County Sheriff’s Office
Lonoke County: Trooper Cody Martin, Arkansas State Police
Madison County: Sergeant Stephen Brown, Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Marion County: Patrol Corporal Justin Martin, Flippin Police Department
Miller County: Trooper Solomon Phifer, Arkansas State Police
Mississippi County: Chief Glen Austin, Keiser Police Department
Monroe County: Special Agent Rodney Davenport, Arkansas State Police
Montgomery County: Chief Deputy Mike May, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Nevada County: Chief Ann Jordan, Prescott Police Department
Newton County: Patrolman Shaun Wiseman, Jasper Police Department
Ouachita County: Assistant Chief Cortney Parker, Camden Police Department
Perry County: Chief Deputy Edwin Johnson, Perry County Sheriff’s Office
Phillips County: Special Agent Scott Troy, Arkansas State Police
Pike County: Lieutenant Jason McDonald, Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Poinsett County: Trooper First Class Tommy Fitzgerald, Arkansas State Police
Polk County: Game Warden Chris Crawford, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Pope County: Special Agent Matt Foster, Arkansas State Police
Prairie County: Chief Bradley Taylor, Hazen Police Department
Pulaski County: Detective Rick Kiser, Little Rock Police Department
Randolph County: Corporal Nicholas Poulsen, Arkansas State Police
St. Francis County: Lieutenant Rodney Myers, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Saline County: Officer Tre’ Davis, Bryant Police Department
Scott County: Corporal Mike Lance, Arkansas State Police
Searcy County: Patrol Deputy Caleb Horn, Searcy County Sheriff’s Office
Sebastian County: Corporal Josh Porter, Arkansas State Police
Sevier County: Lieutenant Chad Bradshaw & Deputy Chris Turner, DeQueen Police Department
Sharp County: Corporal Moye E. Hawkins, Arkansas State Police
Stone County: Lieutenant Jenifer Osborn, Stone County Sheriff’s Office
Union County: Trooper Justin Harper, Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol
Van Buren County: Lieutenant Chasta Harrison, Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office
Washington County: Corporal Phillip Lee, Fayetteville Police Department
White County: Sergeant Brandon Brown, Bald Knob Police Department
Woodruff County: Corporal Kurt Ziegenhorn, Arkansas State Police
Yell County: Sergeant Steven Ramirez, Danville Police Department
