Exchange Club recognizes LEOs of the Year

Feb. 21—Members of Meridian Exchange Club shared their appreciation for local law enforcement Tuesday as they recognized the law enforcement officers of the year. The annual event is organized as a way to thank officers for their service and reward those who have gone above and beyond for their community.

Kassie Coleman, who serves as district attorney for the 10th Circuit Court of Mississippi and was the guest speaker at the appreciation luncheon, said the general public cannot understand the sacrifices made by law enforcement and their families in service of the community. Officers are often called upon when something is needed, she said, such as evidence or assistance. Tuesday's luncheon, however, was an opportunity to give something back.

"Probably each and every one of you have a story about how you ended up here. How you chose to forego money, you chose to forego a lot of family vacations, a lot of holidays because you are called to serve and because you responded to that call, and you were willing to serve," she said. "And so for that, we as your community appreciate that. We appreciate what you do."

Lauderdale County Sheriff Ward Calhoun said his agency's LEO of the year is Agent David Creel. Creel, he said, is quiet, diligent and works hard to serve the people of Lauderdale County.

A former Marine, Creel joined Meridian Police Department in 2010 and served until 2014 when he took a position with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. In 2016, Creel came to the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office where he was assigned to the East Mississippi Drug Task Force.

"Since 2022, David has served as the ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, task force officer and assigned to them as well as the East Mississippi Drug Task Force, and he's been in charge of the Meridian project of the Safe Neighborhoods initiative," Calhoun said. "He's investigated over 40 federal cases, he's partnered with over 14 state, local and federal agencies and at the same time still been an active member of our team at the task force investigating over 60 state felony cases and assisting with many other investigations."

Creel, Calhoun said, is someone who can be counted on to do good, quality police work and build cases that prosecutors can take to trial.

Creel said he is honored to receive the award but also wanted to give credit to others at the sheriff's department and other agencies who assisted in the investigations.

Meridian Police Chief Deborah Young said Officer of the Year Cameron Moody works hard to both serve his community and help his fellow officers. Moody always has a smile on his face, she said, which helps lift spirits at the police station.

"It means a lot because we go through a lot of criticism at the Meridian Police Department," she said. "So to have an officer that has that type of attitude with the public and the rapport with other officers that Officer Cameron Moody has, it is a big asset to the Meridian Police Department."

Moody, who previously worked as a paramedic with Metro Ambulance before joining the police department, said he loves his job and the opportunity it gives him to serve his community.

"Thank you all so much, too, for supporting us," he said. "This is a true honor."

Mississippi Highway Patrol's Master Sgt. Billy Dear was named the MHP Officer of the Year, with Lt. Leo Clemons explaining Dear goes above and beyond to help keep Mississippians safe. A member of the MHP SWAT team, Dear is called in when other options have failed, Clemons said.

"A lot of times when it comes to the SWAT team, it's gotten to be the worst of the worst," he said. "And Master Sgt. Dear is who the state of Mississippi calls upon to do what he can to make the situation a little bit better."

Dear said his law enforcement career and service on the SWAT team are due to a desire to push himself to be the best he can be. Time, however, does not stop when the phone rings, he said, and his success is dependent on his family that enables him to respond to calls when needed.

"Somebody's still got to cook supper when there's a SWAT callout," he said. "Somebody's still got to get kids to ball games."

Faith also plays a big role, Dear said, driving him to be a better man.

Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com