South Bend Police Department holds awards ceremony honoring officers

By: Dante Stanton

Posted: Mar 7, 2023 10:49 PM EDT

NOW: South Bend Police Department holds awards ceremony honoring officers

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The South Bend Police Department held an awards ceremony on Tuesday to honor the officers who put their lives on the line for their community.

The ceremony took place at the Howard Park Event Center at 219 South St. Louis Boulevard.

Detective Brett Airy was named as the department’s Officer of the Year for 2022.

Airy works in the Violent Crimes Unit, which investigates some of the most heinous cases in the department.

“I was really thankful my supervisors put me in for it [the award] and really grateful to be part of the violent crimes unit. We had a successful year this year and worked really hard on some really hard cases. So, it’s just an honor to be part of that unit.” said Airy.

Officer Tony Dawson was awarded the Chief’s Award of Merit, and Jose Aguilar received the Lifesaver Award.