Eastham, Hiatt, Wallace GPD Officers of the Year

The Greencastle City Police Department has named Nick Eastham, Brad Hiatt and Billy Wallace as its 2017 Officers of Year based on their shift assignments.

Eastham works the day shift, Hiatt operates on night shift, and Wallace serves a GPD reserve officer.

“This year was the closest margin for selection I can ever remember,” Assistant Chief Brian Hopkins said in announcing the awards. “It literally came down to fractions of a point. This is based on looking at major statistical categories (as of Dec. 1) like arrests, calls taken, traffic stops, accidents worked, reports made, attendance, citations and warnings issued.

“Officer Eastham finished first in several categories and the upper half in most others. Other areas reviewed were teamwork, extra assignments, appearance, disciplinary action and training hours,” Hopkins noted.

Eastham completed Field Training School this year among other training classes he has successfully completed. He took over as reserve officer commander and has done an exceptional job to this point, the assistant chief said. Eastham has also assisted the department with equipment setup this year with several items being brought on board.

“Officer Eastham is one of the most dependable officers on day shift who rarely misses work,” Hopkins praised.

As an example, Hopkins noted a case Eastham worked that showcased his efforts this year. It involved a hit-and-run driver who fled the scene of an accident on the south side of the city in late summer. The suspect recklessly drove the vehicle through the city at a high rate of speed traveling north, fleeing the scene, committing numerous traffic violations in well populated neighborhoods.

Officer Eastham was able to intercept the suspect vehicle before another collision occurred or anyone else was hurt. The female suspect was arrested for hit-and-run, operating while intoxicated and possession of controlled substances, along with numerous other traffic violations.

Meanwhile, Capt. Charles Inman and Sgt. Eric Vaughan nominated night shift Officer Hiatt for Officer of the Year.

Capt. Inman praised that Officer Hiatt’s contributions this year, saying “they have been tremendous, from technology needs to filling in whenever needed.”

“He’s always prompt and squared away,” the nomination noted.

Officer Hiatt is responsible for training new officers on night shift and assisting with training Area 30 Law Enforcement students, Capt. Inman added.

The nomination for Wallace as Reserve Officer of the Year came from Officers Eastham and Zach Rhine, who are the commanders in charge of the reserves. They came to that determination using a three-step evaluation process.

“First we looked at the activity logs for each officer for the year and ranked each category with a score,” they noted.

“Officer Wallace placed first in the category due to his strong activity not only in the beginning of the year, but also staying competitive after taking on a reserve position with the Cloverdale Police Department in which he works more than full-time hours.”

The second category examined was responses to requests for shift and detail coverage. Officer Wallace covered double the details as the other reserves. Also Officer Wallace currently has accrued the highest numbver of training hours.

“Being that Officer Wallace was first in every category,” Eastham and Rhine noted, “we determined that he should receive the award again this year for his dedication and service to our department and community.”

Officer Wallace was also named GPD Reserve Officer of the Year in 2016.