Contributed by
Jerry Dakins
On March 17, 2022, the Opelika Exchange Club honored four officers from local agencies at a banquet held at the Lee County Fairgrounds. After the banquet, Exchange Club member Bill Harris presented them with a Law Officer of the Year plaque.
To show support for local Law Enforcement, each year the Opelika Exchange Club selects officers from each of four agencies including Auburn Police Department, Opelika Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Department and ALEA State Troopers Opelika Post. Nominations are submitted by each agency based on performance, dedication and leadership skills.
ALEA Senior Trooper Glen Loveday has been a light in times of darkness during this past year with all the difficulties law enforcement has endured. His personality lights up the room in times of stress and uncertainty. He has become a mentor to so many young troopers due to his articulation, loyalty, dependability and his knowledge of criminal law and policy. When placed in difficult situations, his decisions were thoughtful and to the highest degree of professionalism. Those decisions saved the lives of other officers, including himself in a chaotic but heroic situation. His leadership and dedication is an excellent example for all employees.
Detective Gavin Compton, of the Auburn PD, has served with the city of Auburn since 2001. Throughout his career, Compton has utilized his cybersecurity educational degrees to collaborate with colleagues in the forensic field and serve on special task forces involving electronic forensic data retrieval. His excellent forensic retrieval performance and expert testimony on digital forensic analysis has resulted in a number of successful prosecutions. Compton was unable to attend because he was out of town on training; Capt. Jude Hackett accepted the award on his behalf.
Deputy Shawn McDevitt came to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in October 2018, prior to that he was an officer at the Lanett Police Department. He consistently demonstrates a drive to ferret out crime and to serve the citizens of Lee County. He knows his job and does it well, exemplifying professionalism and integrity each and every day. He consistently looks for the criminal element and makes it his daily mission to learn who the criminals are, to seek them out and to arrest them. He is highly productive and a consistent top performer for the sheriff’s office. Over his career he has received several letters of commendation from citizens, his peers and supervisors. He is a great motivator and leader by example and loves serving his community.
Sgt. James Daniel has been with the Opelika Police Department for over 15 years, serving in many divisions. His passion for policing is evident in his work as a K9 handler, a member of the Traffic Homicide Investigation Unit and the Lee County SWAT Team. He is currently transitioning to the Training Division and plays a crucial role in the development and success of the community outreach and officer development. In the past year, he has assisted in the development of several educational programs which are now part of the curriculum, including how to navigate traffic stops and the court process and a program called “Policing and Me”, which is focused on the Bill of Rights and how it applies to policing, and more importantly, their daily lives. Daniel was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict; Capt. Rob Cook accepted the award on his behalf.
The Opelika Exchange Club is proud of these officers and our local Law Enforcement Agencies.