Hard work recognized
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part story profiling men and women being awarded Officer of the Year awards. They will be honored at the 41st annual banquet Feb. 24.
From pulling a woman from a car submerged in Ellis Lake, to nabbing thieves who burglarized homes during last year’s evacuation, Marysville Police Officer Stephen Jackson has seen it all.
But perhaps his most memorable moment on the job was in August last year, when his patrol car got a flat tire.
He and another officer had been out of town picking up evidence when they received the call that Yuba County deputies were shot in Oregon House. On their way back, at Highway 65 and Mcgowan parkway, their patrol car’s tire blew out.
They flagged down a passing vehicle to ask for a ride to Jackson’s home, where he had another patrol car.
“He was nervous at first. He asked, ‘you guys are real cops, right?’” Jackson laughed.
They showed the man their badges and business cards and once in the car, the man was delighted at the prospect of getting to drive faster, asking to run stop signs (they said “no.”)
Jackson, 32, has been with the department fulltime since 2014, and was a reserve officer for the year before. The Grass Valley native remembered watching the show, “Cops” with his twin brother (who is also in law enforcement) growing up, but didn’t think about it as a career until high school.
Jackson is in the detectives unit, and enjoys learning about gangs and task forces. If people don’t know anything about gangs, he said, they tend to think they don’t exist, or have no idea the full scale of how they operate and what they do.
He was surprised to be selected as the department’s 2017 officer of the year, and is appreciative of the honor.
“It’s awesome,” Jackson said, “it’s a good feeling to be recognized for your hard work and accomplishments.” was due to Officer Prince taking the time to build an airtight case that resulted in much more than an arrest for arson,” Wightman wrote.
Javier Marin’s supervisors have nothing but good things to say about him.
“He’s an extremely hard worker, he’s very humble,” Sgt. Brian Wittmer said of the Yuba-sutter California Highway Patrol officer.
“He’s always there for any of his beat partners when they need help. He’s extremely professional, he’s a great guy.”
For 18 years, Marin, 42, has patrolled California highways from San Jose to Willows to Williams before settling in his hometown. He even served as part of the dignitary protection for governors at a Mexican Governors Conference; being bilingual, he worked as the liaison for CHP.
“I am home now,” Marin said. “It’s something that I always wanted to do. Growing up from an early age I kinda knew what my goal was.”
Marin said he enjoys that every day of his job is something different; he’s never been one to stay inside and work in an office. As for being chosen as the department’s officer of the year, he said it’s “awesome.”
“It’s definitely an honor, especially coming from the people you work with and your peers,” Marin said. “It means a lot.”