The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) gathered at Porter Auditorium on April 2 to recognize outstanding officers and heroic action at its 14th annual awards ceremony.

“I want to thank all of my staff who’s here, those who are not here, who’s continued the hard work,” said Sheriff Ezell Brown in opening remarks. “We thank them for all that they do.”

Before recognizing individual officers, Brown highlighted some key ways the NCSO is thriving. He said that the Newton County recidivism rate is at 43.6%—nearly half of what it was in 2009 when Brown was elected sheriff.

Brown added that the NCSO has graduated more than 40,000 fifth graders in the Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (CHAMPS) program.

“Today, some of those fifth graders that were graduating are here as officers,” Brown said.

Tyrone Oliver, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections, was the keynote speaker for the event. The event was special for Oliver, as he started his law enforcement career with the NCSO.

Oliver told the audience that ‘the sky is the limit,’ explaining that so much can be achieved through hard work, and that achievement doesn’t necessarily mean professional advancement.

“When we talk about sky’s the limit in the profession, we’re not just talking about promotions or rank. We’re talking about impact,” Oliver said. “Some of the most influential people I’ve met in my career were not the highest ranking people in the room. They were the deputy who was mentoring younger deputies, the supervisor who made sure that the team went home at the end of the shift, the investigator who refused to give up on the case, the detention officer who treated people with professionalism and dignity, even in the toughest environments. 

“These individuals shape the shape of culture of an organization. They raise the standard for everyone around them, and that’s how strong agencies are built.”

Oliver encourages the NCSO team to take pride in the mission, not themselves. He said that a career in law enforcement can take lots of sacrifice, but is uniquely rewarding.

“While we recognize individuals tonight, we also know that no one succeeds alone,” Oliver said. “Behind every deputy in this room, there’s a team. Behind the team, there’s a leader who guides them. And behind you all, families who support you through the demands of this profession.”

As the evening transitioned into officer recognition, the NCSO first recognized staff for years of service. 

By division, the Deputy of the Year recognitions went to:

• Delarion Walls, Uniform Patrol
• Wesley Ramsey, Detention
• Odalis Alberto, Criminal Investigations
• Devin Bullock, Special Investigations 
• Shawanda Arnold, Court Service
• Diane Luong, Support Services, K-9 Handler
• Felicia Jefferson, Office of Professional Standards

Rookie of the Year:

• Marvin Nesbitt, Detention
• Dominique Dunn, Uniform Patrol
• Deputy of the Year
• Demarcus Pope

Employee of the Year

• Rueben Brambila

Instructor of the Year

• Jeffrey Alexander

Meritorious Service Award

• Kenneth Kent
• Devon Sydnor
• Joseph McClarin
• Dominique Dunn 

• Shanta Garrett 
• Life Saving Award
• Brandon Franklin
• Devon Sydnor
• Joseph Mcclarin
• Delarion Walls, 
• Shandrell McFarlin
• Patrick Gilbert
• Michael Ward (CPD officer)

Humanitarian Award

• John Restivo
• Marco Gibson
• Devan Moore
• Kimberly Cox
• Michael Gregg
• Tommy Haley

Retirement Recognition

• Patricia Fitts
• Susan Gray
• Danny Peppers
• Bryan Hale

In Memorium

• Gerald Malcom
• Thomas Kunz

Special Recognition

• Carlos Rhodes
• Dharma Davis
• Vickie Douglas