Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jered Guisinger recently received the Montana American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. The commendation was presented at the American Legion State Conference held in Polson.
“I could not be prouder of Jered, and no one deserves the award more than he does,” said Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton. “Sgt. Guisinger is a great example of what law enforcement is, and he is an incredible asset to my office and our community.”
A Navy veteran, Guisinger started working for the county as a Recruit Reserve Deputy in January 2005. According to Holton, he recognized Guisinger’s potential to be an outstanding law enforcement officer and he was hired almost immediately to work full-time. Since that time, he has served as Corporal and Field Training Officer, Deputy Coroner, Search and Rescue Coordinator, Special Response Team Operator, Domestic Violence Investigation Instructor and Taser/OC/Use of Force Instructor.
Holton said that he chose to nominate Guisinger for a number of reasons.
“He is thoughtful and deliberate in his decision making and open minded. His work ethic is outstanding, and Jered gives 110% effort in all his duties,” said Holton. “He is very thorough in his investigations and just as thorough in training his people and making sure they have the resources they need to perform their duties.”
Holton said that safety is the number one priority for his staff and for the community. “Jered understands this and always puts safety first when planning operations and supervising his staff,” he said. “His level headed and compassionate approach to calls for service and individual people are invaluable to me.”
Holton said that Guisinger is always willing to attend individual training opportunities and to provide training to deputies, reserve deputies, Search and Rescue, volunteers and RSCO staff.
“He invariably goes the extra mile in effort without being asked,” said Holton.
Guisinger obtained a college degree while working shifts full time and consistently volunteers to work on scheduled days off.
“He is a great liaison to other agencies because of his common sense approach to problems and his willingness to listen to other’s ideas,” said Holton. “His ethics and morals are beyond reproach and he is uncompromising when it comes to doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons.”
Holton called Guisinger a “an outstanding supervisor, Deputy Sheriff and role model,” and said he was honored to recognize him not only for his work in 2018, but for his 13 years of service to the citizens of Ravalli County.