Officer of the Month Awarded.
EL DORADO — Sergeant Scott Harwell, a detective with the El Dorado Police Department, was honored Wednesday as officer of the month, by the El Dorado Kiwanis Club.
Harwell became a reserve officer with his department in June 2006, and according to EPD Lt. Cathy Phillips, who nominated him for the award, he volunteered every available hour possible (over 744.5 hours). He formed a great bond with other reserve officers, fulltime officers and supervisors.
“His respect for the uniform and all it stand for, coupled with a truly professional attitude and strong desire to make a positive difference in the community in which he lives, prompted him to make a drastic move. From a prestigious paying job as manager of Home Depot, he took and passed the civil service test, becoming a full-time officer with the El Dorado Police Department on May 5, 2008,” she said.
Born and raised in Shreveport, La., Harwell spent most of his adult life there. He and his wife, Kathryn, a teacher for the El Dorado School District, have a son, James and a daughter, Millye. He attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and Louisiana State University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Harwell is certified as a radar operator, certified with the Emergency Management and State Emergency Response Commission, the Department of Homeland Security and is a certified member of the Severe Weather Storm Spotters, National Weather Service.
He has an intermediate certificate from standards and is recognized as a certified police professional instructor, certified police traffic radar instructor and is a certified police firearms instructor.
Harwell was also named Kiwanis officer of the month in November 2008, May 2009 and in January 2012. He received the departmental Investigator of the Year Award in both 2011 and 2012.
On Sept. 18, police officers were summoned to Lorene Street, to Storey’s Floor and Carpet, where a vehicle had run into the business, causing an estimated $10,000 worth of damage. The driver of the vehicle then fled the scene. The following day, the investigation was turned over to Harwell, who reviewed the video surveillance footage and through the course of his detective work, he was able to bring the subject in for an interview and obtained a confession from the driver.
“Sgt. Harwell is a valuable asset to the Criminal Investigation Division. He is one of the most dedicated investigators we have,” Phillips wrote.