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Detective Jason Bash was selected Officer of the Year and Eric Cooper won the Phil Carlton Rookie of the Year award at the Greer Police Department’s annual awards banquet Saturday night at City Hall.
Chief Dan Reynolds opened the awards portion of the banquet and acknowledged the strength of Greer’s community and its willingness to
support the department.“Anytime we have some need, a lot of people in this community step forward. Whether it’s money, resources — they’re willing to help people out,” Reynolds said. “I don’t think a lot of people appreciate that as much as they should. This is a very close-knit community.”
“It’s a great honor to get the award,” said Bash, who was also celebrating his fiveyear anniversary with his wife. “I have been with the department for almost seven years and four years with the investigations division now. I really enjoy working here.”
Bash said his co-workers make coming to work fun. “The people I work with are great and there are great supervisors. We just love working with each other. There is a good rapport with a lot of the other jurisdictions,” Bash said. Bringing cases to a close is possible, Bash said, through the good working relations amongst Greer’s officers and those in other jurisdictions.
“It really helps us out to get a lot of cases solved,” Bash said.
Cooper has worked with the department for three years, serving as a detention officer during the first two.
“I was told I could become a patrol officer, and that is something I have always wanted to do — become a police officer,” Cooper said. “They gave me an opportunity to go to the road, so I took it.”
Like Bash, Cooper was surprised that he was selected for an award. “I had no clue I’d get it,” Cooper said.
After a good first year on the road, Cooper said he hopes to keep up the good work. “I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing, the
same way,” Cooper said. Sgt. Patrick Fortenberry received Supervisor of the Year, detention officer Cole Smith and dispatcher Cathy Mayer won Civilian Employees of the Year.
“Dispatchers seldom get the recognition they deserve,” Reynolds said. “I appreciate everything they do and everybody in here does too.”
Reynolds selected Tilda Burgess as the recipient for Chief’s Award.
“She and her husband have always worked with us during Cops for Tots, providing valuable service for us,” Reynolds said.
Rev. Keith Kelly was a popular choice for the Mike Garfield Community Service Award. Kelly has served as the department’s chaplain,
dating before Reynolds’ arrival to Greer four years ago. Pastor at His Vineyard in Greer, Reynolds said Kelly is always there when Greer officers need him.
“If our officers have a personal problem or are looking for somebody they can trust and deal with, Pastor Kelly is there,” Reynolds said. “He is always there when we need him and we really appreciate it.”
Echoing what Reynolds said during the awards portion, Greer Mayor Rick Danner said every officer with the department deserves an award.
“These men and ladies are the front-line of defense for our citizens,” Danner said. “Often times, they are sort of the unsung heroes.
From our telecommunications people…to the detectives and the people out patrolling the streets, they all play a pretty vital role in keeping our community safe.”
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