Lt. Det. Freddy Williams named 2016 Crittenden County Officer of the Year

Lt. Det. Freddy Williams named 2016 Crittenden County Officer of the Year

Attorney General’s Office recognizes Marion Police veteran as local ‘ top cop’

news@theeveningtimes.com

[ Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Sept. 21, 2016 edition of the Times]

Marion Police Department Detective Freddy Williams has been named Crittenden County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.

Deputy Prosecutor Matt Coe said Williams was nominated for the award by the county prosecutors for his hard work in connection with multiple cases that resulted in convictions for lengthy prison sentences of individuals “who needed to be taken off the streets of Crittenden County, in once case, a life sentence.”

Williams has been with Marion Police Department since 2000 and has been a detective since 2003.

He was named Arkansas Officer of the Year in 2003 for his bravery after being shot in the face during a routine traffic stop.

Williams pulled over a car for speeding on Interstate 55 between Marion and West Memphis and became suspicious after the passenger showed him a birth certificate. The passenger leaned out the window and shot Williams just underneath his left cheek.

He returned fire, killing his assailant, and was able to take shelter in his squad car and radioed for help.

Williams returned to work three months later but still has a bullet in his neck which can’t be removed.

He was awarded a Purple Heart, Medal of Valor, a Commendation Citation Award, 2003 Marion Officer of the Year, Medal of Valor from the City of West Memphis, 2003 Arkansas Officer of the Year Award, and 2003 Arkansas Chiefs of Police Officer if the Year Award.

Williams speaks to new recruits every year about the incident at the Black River Police Academy in Pocahontas.

“It’s a nice honor,” Williams said. “I just perform my job duties and try to get results and get the facts of the case.”

Marion Police Chief Gary Kelley said the honor is well deserved.

“He’s very conscientious,” Kelley said. “He works hard at what he does. And he follows through with it.”

Crittenden County Sheriff Mike Allen added that Williams always gives 110 percent and is an excellent investigator.

“I’m very happy for Marion Police Department and for Freddy,” Allen said. “I can’t think of a better person who deserves it. He’s a great guy and a great officer. We had a scare back in 2003 when he got shot. That guy probably would have executed him, but his training kicked in and he was able to overcome his injuries and survived. He was a fighter during that whole thing. He’s always been that kind of person.”

Coe, who nominated Williams for the award, said that Williams is also very community oriented.

“Detective Williams is very involved in the community helping people who may have gotten off track become employed, become more involved in their neighborhoods and become productive members of our community,” Coe said.

Before joining Marion Police Department Williams worked for SimplexGrinnell for 10 years, a subsidiary of Tyco International as a senior technical analyst and continues to utilize his experience both in law enforcement and his training in computers and electronics.

Williams is married to Debi, a local dentist, and they have two children, Dalton and Brooke.

By Mark Randall