DECATUR -- The Police Department and the cit received a noteworthy honor May 10 when Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge presented Police Chief Steven Grizzle with the 2020 Benton County Officer of the Year award at City Hall.
On hand for the presentation ceremony were Mayor Bob Tharp, members of the City Council, and Steve and Kay Grizzle, parents of the chief. The Grizzles drove to Decatur from Muldrow, Okla., to share in their son's shining moment.
Grizzle is a man who is quick to point out the deeds and actions of his fellow officers from around the area who put in long hours to keep their communities safe.
"I am extremely honored to receive this award, and I can't put into words the feelings I have right now," Grizzle said. "That someone would put me in for it and then I got chosen by the attorney general and the state of Arkansas to represent Benton County and Northwest Arkansas is a humbling experience. But, at the same time, I feel bad because there are so many officers out there who are well deserving of this honor. I can name 100 officers up here that are constantly out there doing their job every day and you hear no gripes. We have people hating on us, and these officers are still out in the field doing their job."
One particular call Grizzle answered turned into a medical situation requiring him to administer CPR to save a man's life. This incident occurred on Dec. 12, 2019, when Decatur hosted the Kansas City Southern Christmas Train at the Decatur depot. He was first on the scene and immediately went into life-saving mode.
"I went on a call to back up the fire department and, when I got there, the guy was not breathing," Grizzle recalled. "When I checked his vital signs, he had no pulse. I began administering CPR until the fire department arrived and took over the situation. Then I went into my cop mode. I eventually found out that he overdosed. I found the pills there, and I relayed this to the EMTs who immediately administered Narcan (an overdose reversal drug) and, bam, he came back."
Grizzle took over as Police Chief in May 2020, after former Chief Joe Savage retired to open a motorcycle repair shop. Grizzle continued Savage's efforts to modernize the department, and today the residents of Decatur have a force of six full-time officers, three fully equipped police vehicles, and a new police dog.
Grizzle pays homage to the Decatur community for its support of the Police Department, especially in these times of uncertainty. He pledges to continue his work at making Decatur a safe place to live and work.
"Yes, it is awesome to be given this honor. But this also speaks about our community," Grizzle said. "Even though we have a few people that want to hate on us, the community up here has completely backed our efforts, as well as the city council. I think I serve one of the best towns in Northwest Arkansas. I have had so many people congratulate me. This just makes me want to strive to do a better job for the community, just like every officer out there."