Amarillo Rotary South names Matt Mitchell as Randall County Deputy of the Year

Thursday morning, the Amarillo South Rotary Club presented Matt Mitchell with its Randall County Deputy of the Year Award at an event in Amarillo.

Mitchell, a patrol deputy for Randall County of more than six years, said that the desire to be a deputy did not come at an early age. He said he had previously worked in landscaping for more than 10 years before becoming a public servant.

“I knew I always wanted to help people, but it took a while to know that I wanted to do it as a police officer,” Mitchell said.

He said that one of the reasons that he felt he was recognized was his willingness to step up and do shift coverage for other officers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected staffing at all levels.

“As deputies, we really have to be there to support each other; I work with so many great people in the department,” Mitchell said. “Our whole office knows how to take care of each other and the community. They pass these ideals down to those that join the department to help the community.”

Mitchell said that most of his fellow officers joined because they have a servant’s heart and mentality. He said that recognition in any way means so much to the people of the department.

“I was not expecting this; it is very humbling to be recognized like this,” Mitchell said. “I am very appreciative of all that this organization does for the community and their support for law enforcement. I work with so many other men and women that are so deserving of this award. In everything we do, it’s a team effort.”

Standing at his side for the ceremony was his wife, Emily, who was all smiles as he received his award.

"I am just so proud of him out there making a difference," Emily Mitchell said.

Randall County Sheriff Chris Forbis spoke about the reasoning for his department choosing to honor Mitchell for his service to the community.

“Deputy Mitchell has what you would want in a law enforcement officer, not only in his regular duties as a deputy, but his honor guard duty and our gang intelligence unit,” Forbis said. “He cares so much for his community by volunteering for various activities. He is just that well-rounded deputy that every department wants out serving the public.”

Forbis said that he appreciates the Amarillo Rotary South's work in showing recognition each year.

“Showing recognition to our hardworking law enforcement officers out working every day is very important,” Forbis said. “A lot of times, these officers are kind of unsung heroes. They are out there protecting us every day, and you really do not always notice it. Most interactions most people have are traffic stops, so having these positive interactions with the community is amazing. It means so much to these guys to get recognized; it means a lot to them even though they do not do the job for these recommendations."

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Rotary South names Mitchell as Randall County Deputy of Year