2014 Awards Ceremony

On December 13th, members of the Raytown Police Department gathered for our annual Awards Ceremony. This event is held to honor and recognize employee accomplishments and service to the City of Raytown. This year’s award winners:

OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Detective Jimmy Wolsey

Detective Wolsey was nominated and selected for Officer of the Year for many reasons, including his attitude, work ethic, and contribution to the mission of the Raytown Police Department.

Detective Wolsey does not hesitate to work through long, complex investigations and has spent many hours to further a cold homicide case as well as several other recent homicides and high priority cases this year. He truly enjoys his work, and it shows in his positive attitude that he brings to work every day.

Detective Wolsey has also taken on a substantial amount of duties and responsibilities outside out of his primary assignment, including Crisis Negotiations and Public Information Officer. Detective Wolsey is quick to help other detectives with their cases and shares his experience and knowledge with new detectives, both during their training periods and after. Detective Wolsey is a part of a great unit of detectives that work well together and is an asset to the Unit and the department as a whole. It is with our gratitude that we recognize Detective Jimmy Wolsey as our Officer of the Year.

RESERVE OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Officer Jeff Keith

Officer Keith started his career with the Raytown Police Department on September 10th, 1979 and retired on February 11th, 2012 and remained on as a reserve officer for the department. Since retiring, Officer Keith has assisted in the Records Unit whenever they needed shift coverage.

In addition to his work in the Records Unit, Officer Keith has always assisted in the Detention Unit and Property & Evidence Room. In May 2014, Officer Keith helped the Detention Unit demolish and remove old cabinets and furniture and install the new counters and storage. He also began training in the Property & Evidence Room so he could fill in for the Evidence Technician while she is on maternity leave.

Officer Keith is always willing to serve at a moment’s notice and assist in various units throughout the department. It is commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm that make him a valuable asset to our Department and it is with our gratitude that we recognize Officer Keith as our Reserve Officer of the Year.

CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR

Kyle Stoker

Kyle started his career with the Raytown Police Department as the crime analyst in 2010. He has proved to be a major asset to the Investigations Unit and invaluable to the success of the Department. He always makes himself available and places everything to the side to help with a current situation that needs to be addressed. He played a key role in helping to solve all three homicides in 2014 by gathering intelligence on dozens of suspects, witnesses, and victims. Kyle has created flow charts, timelines and has assisted outside agencies with their work regarding a group of over 30 subjects who have been involved in multiple homicides and shootings throughout the Kansas City metro area, including at least three shootings in Raytown. In addition to his regular duties, Kyle is also a valuable member of the Crisis Negotiation Team. He is the current President of the Mid-America Regional Crime Analysis Network (MARCAN) and the Training Director for the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) and has been a key in the development of the new Raytown Police Department Website. It is with our gratitude that we recognize Kyle as our Civilian of the Year.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Todd Hembree

After attending the first New Citizen’s Academy in 2012, Todd stepped up to volunteer for future Citizen’s Academies, National Night Out events, and helped with any project that was presented to him. Late in 2013 he applied for and was accepted into the “Volunteers in Police Service” Program. Todd has worked on a variety of projects for the department while simultaneously working a full time job and handling family obligations. For example, he has worked with Property & Evidence Technician Beth Bennett to help with entering property information. Todd has volunteered for over 70 hours this year, saving the department valuable time and resources. It is with our gratitude that we recognize Todd as our Volunteer of the Year.

LIFESAVING AWARD

Officer Frank McDevitt

(The Lifesaving Award is granted to any member of the Department for a successful effort in saving a human life, which involved exceptional courage or performance.)

On Halloween night of this year, officers were told via police radio about a possible intoxicated driver traveling southbound on Raytown Rd and they began to search the area. As they searched in area of Raytown Rd and Gregory Blvd, they saw a car driving south that was on fire. The car came to a stop in the middle of the intersection where it continued to burn.

Officer McDevitt was one of the first officers on the scene. With complete disregard for his own safety, he took decisive action immediately and ran up to the driver’s side door. The driver was still inside the car and not reacting to the fire, even though the passenger side was completely engulfed in flames. Officer McDevitt had only moments to open the door, unbuckle the seatbelt, and physically pull the driver out of the car to safety, before the driver’s compartment was fully engulfed in flames.

It was found that the driver of the car was highly intoxicated and without the response and actions of Officer McDevitt, he would have certainly been severely burned or even killed by the fire. It is with his selfless actions in mind that we are proud to present Officer Frank McDevitt the Life Saving Award.