District One Law Enforcement Council honors 31 officers from Northwest Indiana
“In this profession there’s a lot of power, and some people abuse that power. But only a very small percent aren’t doing the right thing. We want to celebrate the 99% who are.” — Gregory Mancy, chief of the Griffith Police Department and president of the District One Law Enforcement Counsel
The District One Law Enforcement Council held an awards ceremony Tuesday morning at Indiana Dunes State Park honoring 31 officers from various departments in Northwest Indiana.
The District One Law Enforcement Council say in their mission statement that they seek to “promote professionalism, training and networking for the law enforcement executive and to enhance public awareness of law enforcement and public safety issues.”
The ceremony began with the presenting of the flags by the Indiana State Police Honor Guard and a performance from Lake County Sheriff ’s Pipes and Drums. After the national anthem, there was a moment of silence for the officers who had died in the line of duty in the past year.
Following a breakfast, officers were given awards for lifetime achievement, lifesaving and exemplary service, amongst others. Long Beach Chief Marshal Mark Swistek was the recipient of the Officer of the Year award.
Swistek received the award for his actions during a routine welfare check in September 2022. During the check Swistek discovered a crime scene with two elderly men clinging to life after being brutally attacked. Swistek was able to single-handedly apprehend the suspect.
“My biggest takeaway is to never take any call for granted,” Swistek said after the ceremony.
Chief Gregory Mance, of the Griffith Police Department, is the president of the District One Law Enforcement Council and he said one of the purposes the awards ceremony serves is to contrast narratives about bad police officers by promoting good ones.
“This ceremony gives us an opportunity to highlight the good work our officers do on a regular basis,” he said. “Too often just the negative is brought up, but we want to recognize the good work our officers have done.”
Mance said police officers don’t often like a lot of public attention but he believes it’s important to strive to recognize officers who serve their community.
“In this profession there’s a lot of power, and some people abuse that power,” Mance said. “But only a very small percent aren’t doing the right thing. We want to celebrate the 99% who are.”
The ceremony also featured Jerry Ezell as a guest speaker. Ezell is a retired Indiana State Police
officer, and he said in his opening remarks that the police often go unappreciated by the public until they’re affected personally by a crime. He commended the officers in attendance for being the counter to those officers who go astray.
“Some officers have done things that are incorrect, but 99% of the police are there to serve the public in ways that no other profession does,” Ezell said.
“On a regular basis the police are there to save the lives and property of the people when they’re in trouble.”
Swistek, meanwhile, said he was very honored and humbled to be awarded Officer of the Year, and affirmed his belief that the officers in the room with him were part of the 99% of officers who honorably serve their communities.
“If I could say anything to my fellow police officers, I would tell them not to let the negativity get them down,” Swistek said. “I’ve had my fair share of negativity, but I’ve found it’s usually the misinformed who are the most negative.”