JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Several officers and local leaders were recognized Thursday during the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's 2015 "Of the Year" awards.
Officer Isaiah Fields received the 2015 "Police Officer of the Year" award for his work in catching a burglary suspect. He also helped to paint a woman's home after she was the victim of vandalism.
Sheriff John Rutherford shared Fields' story during the ceremony. In April, a man approached a broken down vehicle on the side of the road. The man pretended to help the driver, a 77-year-old woman, but reportedly stole her purse and ran down the road.
Fields, who was off-duty at the time, happened to be driving by and spotted the woman.
"Usually you don't see a 77-year-old lady running down the road chasing somebody, so I knew something wasn't right," Fields said.
Fields immediately got out of his car, ran after the man and caught him at a nearby hotel. He was able to return the woman's purse and was honored Thursday for his off-duty efforts.
"It's a great honor," Fields said. "There's so many stories out there of other officers that do things and they don't get recognized, so I accept this for them."
Rutherford also honored:
- An undercover police sergeant as the "Police Supervisor of the Year"
- Corrections Officer David Torres as the "Corrections Officer of the Year"
- Community and Media Relations Specialist Amanda Burns as the "Civilian Employee of the Year"
- Reserve Officer Morey J. Cooksey as the "Reserve Officer of the Year"
- Corrections Sgt. Maurena Dukes as the "Corrections Supervisor of the Year"
- Detective Corey Lightfoot with the 2015 "Six Pillars of Character Employee of the Year" award
- Police Officer Christy Conn with the 2015 "Continuous Improvement Employee of the Year" award
- Donald Foy, chapter president of MAD DADS, with the "Citizen of the Year" award
"We as a community have got to take back the community," Foy said. "The only way we can do that is to break the silence to remove the ones responsible for murder and crime in our community. I'm honored to receive this today."
Rutherford said he's proud to see the great work from not only his officers but citizens who have stepped up to become community leaders.