Pea Ridge Police Officer of the year Wyatt Varner was selected for that honor by his peers, according to Lt. Michael Lisenbee, public information officer. Varner was presented a plaque Friday in a small ceremony at City Hall with his family present.
Varner has been working with the Pea Ridge Police Department for two years. He is a native of Washburn, Mo., and attended college at Missouri Southern.
In nominating him for the honor, his peers wrote:
"He is a good and hard worker."
"Varner would be my picked based off enjoyment for the profession and his desire to grow and learn."
"Wyatt has continued to lead the department in every category for patrol. Despite hardships against patrol like covid, changing his schedule and serving on our first-ever proactive unit, Wyatt continued to lead by example in work ethic, production and always maintaining a great attitude. Wyatt has always continued the hard-working attitude and behavior that everyone in the department should follow. Wyatt is continually and proactively thwarting street-level narcotics, impaired driving and handling the public. He still professionally carries himself with all the 'yes, sirs' and is always polite and sincere. If we had eight Wyatt Varners on patrol, there would be less people and things to interdict in our city."
"My nomination for Officer of the Year is Wyatt Varner. He works very hard when it comes to traffic enforcement and drug arrests. He always seems to have a good attitude and is willing to learn. When he makes mistakes, he always wants to know how to fix them and do better the next time. He is motivated and wants the best for Pea Ridge."
"Normal patrol; several domestic violence arrests, multiple DWI arrests, almost 40 drug-related arrests last year (one quarter of which were felonies), and K9 'I am very proud.'"
