Yuma Police Department names Employees of the Year for 2016
Officer Cory Williams, a former firefighter who initially followed in his father’s footsteps before chasing his dream of being a cop, and Sgt. Mike Wilcher, who grew up in nearby Wellton, have been named the 2016 Officer of the Year and Supervisor of the Year respectively, for the Yuma Police Department.
Det. Chuck Ordonez was also recognized as the Detective of the Year, while Lauralea Hernandez was named the Civilian of the Year, during an annual awards ceremony that was held recently at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive.
“The performance of these four Yuma Police Department employees during the 2016 calendar year went beyond exemplary,” said Yuma Police Chief John Lekan. “They have each distinguished themselves through their unyielding commitment and dedication to enhancing the quality of life in the city of Yuma.”
Lekan continued by saying, “The city of Yuma is fortunate to have employees of this caliber providing public safety service.”
Williams said he knew he wanted to be a police officer from an early age, so after 12 years in the emergency fire service, he decided it was time to fulfill his lifelong dream.
After earning his badge, Williams would spend another three years with the Ulysses Police Department in his hometown of Ulysses, Kan., with its population of 6,097, before being hired by YPD.
“At first I was a little worried about Yuma being such a big city and having such a large department,” Williams said. “I’m not used to looking out my window and seeing any neighbors. Where I’m from, the closest one was a mile away.”
Now, a Yuma police offi-
cer for five years, Williams said he can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“Yuma is a great community and I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” Williams said. “This is where I would like to retire.”
Williams said his upbringing also played a big role in leading him to pursuing two careers in public service.
“Growing up, my grandmother always taught me to try and make a difference in someone’s life,” Williams said. “To this day it is what I still try to do.”
Williams was recognized as Officer of the Year for — in addition to his regular duties — being the coordinator for all of the local law enforcement-related functions for the Arizona Special Olympics.
Throughout the year, Williams organized and attended multiple fundraising events throughout the city. This not only raised much needed revenue for Special Olympics, but also gave the public an opportunity to interact with Yuma police officers.
“It is great to be able to do those types of events and represent the Yuma Police Department,” Williams said.
During his normal work shift, Williams serves as a Neighborhood School Resource Officer and spends time actively assisting with traffic enforcement and responding to calls for service in the area of his assigned schools.
Off duty, Williams, a father of three boys, volunteers as a coach for the city’s youth football and basketball programs, which his children are all active in.
For Wilcher, being chosen as Supervisor of the Year was a special moment, especially considering who was there to see him honored.
“This is the first year I brought someone other than my wife with me to the awards ceremony,” Wilcher said. “I brought my grandfather. He was able to share in the award with me, so it meant a lot.”
Wilcher, who currently supervises eight officers as the patrol sergeant for D-squad, said the award was given to him for the contributions he made while he was still the administrative sergeant.
In that position, Wilcher was assigned to supervise and oversee a myriad of duties, including the patrol support officers (PSO), light duty personnel, the quartermaster, the approval of priority and arrest reports, officer and employee subpoenas, and court order service.
He was also responsible for managing the patrol fleet, equipment and supplies, monthly Juvenile Justice Reports, and offduty employment requests and scheduling.
“Sgt. Wilcher was able to manage and prioritize multiple projects and assumed personal responsibility for the completion of all assignments, tasks and other commitments, on or before deadlines,” his nomination form read.
Under Wilcher’s leadership, the PSO unit became a successful and highly motivated unit, investigating over 6,100 calls for service, completing over 1,900 case reports, and assisted in identifying over 120 suspects through latent fingerprints lifted by unit officers, the most since the unit’s creation.
“I’m fortunate to have been recognized for the efforts I have made over the past year,” Wilcher said. “I’m very proud of this department, and proud that I work here.”
Wilcher also encouraged participation in many community events such as Relay for Life, Shop With A Cop, Coffee With A Cop, Tip A Cop, the APS Light Parade, the Silver Spur Rodeo Parade, the Yuma County Fair, Midnight At The Oasis, Veterans Day Parade, and the Marine Corps Air Show.
When Wilcher was given the opportunity to oversee D-squad permanently earlier this year, Wilcher said he took it because he wanted to be a mentor to the new officers and play a role in helping guide them in their careers.
“Running a patrol squad is more of a fit for me. I’m a patrol guy at heart. I love being out on the streets, especially at nights,” Wilcher said. “I believe operationally and administratively that I have grown.”
Wilcher also had high praise for the new officers under his command, saying he is encouraged by what he sees from them on a day-to-day basis.
“I think we have some outstanding new young officers coming into play now,” Wilcher said. “These men and women are hardworking, intelligent, young individuals who want to
make a career for themselves.”
In addition to his supervisory role, Wilcher has various other duties and responsibilities, including being a team leader on the Special Enforcement Team (SET), a terrorism liaison officer, and a firearms instructor.
“I kind of have my hands in a little bit of everything,” Wilcher said. “It has been a fun career so far.”