Each year, Prosecuting Attorney D. Lee Buckingham, II recognizes two officers in honor of each Hamilton County officer's distinguished service to the community and the pursuit of justice. One investigator (usually holding an assignment as a detective) and one road officer are selected from the nominations garnered from within the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
At a ceremony held on January 15th in the Commissioner's Courtroom at the Hamilton County Judicial Center in Noblesville, Prosecuting Attorney Buckingham (photo center) said, "it is never easy to select the recipients of these awards, not because of a dearth of candidates, but rather because of the difficulty in selecting just one recipient in each category from the many viable candidates within the county."
Prosecutor Buckingham recognized Detective Cesar Rodriguez of the Fishers Police Department as Investigator of the Year for 2018. As an investigator, Det. Rodriguez (photo left) works a variety of cases. A police officer for Fishers since 2011, Det. Rodriguez began his law enforcement experience with two years with the Crawfordsville Police Department. Det. Rodriguez has served with the Investigations Division since 2013 and distinguishes himself with thoroughness, helpfulness, and a tenacious determination to see that the best case is put forward.
Prosecutor Buckingham recognized Officer Michael Steffen of the Noblesville Police Department as the Road Officer of the Year for 2018. Officer Steffen (photo right) began his law enforcement experience with the Indiana State Police's Capitol Police in 2006 and joined the Noblesville Police Department in 2010. Since 2013, Officer Steffen has served as the School Resource Officer at Noblesville West Middle School. Officer Steffen not only acted heroically on May 25th and likely helped save one life in the early moments of that terrible day, but he also distinguished himself throughout the year with his commitment to fulfilling all three primary roles of a school resource officer to Noblesville Schools: an informal counselor, educator, and law enforcement officer.