Ravalli County Sheriff’s Deputy Sergeant Ike Jessop was recently selected as the Montana American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Sergeant Jessop was nominated by American Legion Post 91 of Corvallis. Post 91’s nomination is here:
Post 91 nominated Jessop on the recommendation of Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton. Holton documented his reasons in a letter to Post 91 which stated in part:
“Sgt. Jessop has earned the respect of my command staff, his peers and his subordinates with his top-notch work ethic and exceptional leadership. Sgt. Jessop has attained his Montana Peace Officer’s Basic, Intermediate and Supervisory Certificates.
“Sgt. Jessop is a shining example of humble leadership to the entire Office and community. His work ethic and habits are exceptional, as well as his competent investigations and community approach to law enforcement. No one is more fair, honest or ethical than Sgt. Jessop.
“Sgt. Jessop is always the first to volunteer for extra or difficult assignments and brings the same cheerful common-sense approach to every call for service and interaction he has. I have come to rely on Ike’s leadership, judgement and input for decisions regarding the Patrol Division. Ike’s decisions are always based on what is best for the community and the Office, without regard to how it affects him personally. I can always count on Ike to, ‘do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons.’
“Sgt. Jessop has served Ravalli County as a Sheriff’s Cadet, Sheriff’s Reserve Deputy, Pinesdale Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, RCSO Field Training Officer and Corporal and currently is a Patrol Sergeant. Importantly, Sgt Jessop is a trainer and advocate for our School Safety Program which teaches educators tactics for dealing with an armed intruder in an educational setting. He is currently my Reserve Deputy Coordinator, a role in which he excels at supervising, training and scheduling Reserve Deputy Sheriffs as they provide supplemental law enforcement services to the Office and County.
“Ike leads by example and through all the roles he’s had I know the Deputies he trains and supervises will treat everyone they contact as they would want their own family treated.
“I have known Ike since he was a teenager and Sheriff’s Cadet and the best example of Ike’s consistent exemplary performance is this; in all the years I’ve know Ike, I have never known him to have a bad day. We all have bad days of course, as Sgt. Jessop must have, but his performance and attitude toward policing Ravalli County never waiver.”
Sgt. Jessop is a devoted family man. He and his wife, Mauriana, have three sons and one daughter. Ike is involved in coaching wrestling to pre-teen boys at his local elementary school and gives local teens and adults instruction in the fundamentals of big game bow hunting.
Sheriff Holton thanked Randy Baird and Corvallis American Legion Post 91 for the opportunity to recognize Sgt. Jessop and stated, “Post 91 has always been incredibly supportive of the men and women of the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office. We are very thankful for that, and sincerely appreciate their efforts to recognize outstanding law enforcement service.”
Holton also noted that four of the last five American Legion Law Enforcement Officers of the Year have been Ravalli County Sheriff’s Deputies nominated by Post 91.