Officer Joe Young Honored as National Officer of the Month

Fredericksburg Master Police Officer Joe Young was honored Monday as the Officer of the Month for June by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. 

Officer Young was nominated for the award by his peers for his valor in the line of duty on June 6, 2008. The nomination read in part:

"Master Officer Joe Young was awarded his own department's Medal of Honor for his acts of valor and extraordinary discharge of duty on the night that his squad-mate Officer Todd Bahr was shot and killed.  Joe is credited with saving the lives of the shooter's other intended victims and for that reason he deserves to be recognized as the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Officer of the Month."

Joseph Akers, chairman of the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund's Officer of the Month committee, read the nomination and presented the award to Officer Young during a gathering of colleagues and guests at Fredericksburg police headquarters.

"It's a huge honor," Young said after receiving the award.  "It was a terrible night, that night, but since then a lot of good things have come about with training and tactics and how the department deals with officers who have been involved with pretty traumatic situations," he said. 

"There were always directives in place for shootings, but before Todd it had been 44 years [since a Fredericksburg officer had been killed in the line of duty] and then all of a sudden we're going through it," he said.  "It worked fine, but the chief looked at it and said, 'It's good, but I want to make it great'. 

Young said the department has reworked directives to help police officers. "For example, I was sequestered in one of the interview rooms," Young said.  "Now we have the guardian angel program, where you're not waiting alone to be interviewed." 

He said the department is better prepared than ever to deal with officers mental health if and when terrible things happen.  "Some good did come out of that night," Young said.  "I hope it never happens again, but if it does, we'll be prepared."

Akers said the award is meant to recognize outstanding work law enforcement perform on a daily basis.  "With us being a law enforcement memorial, most of our focus is on remembering those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice," Akers said. "In 1996 our chairman Craig Floyd decided to talk about the contributions officers were making on a daily basis and never got recognized for," he said. 

"What we hope to do with this program is look at law enforcement officers -- be they sheriffs, be they police officers, fish and game, department of corrections -- and recognize them for what they do everyday," he said.  "We hope these 12 Officers of the Month present a picture of America's total law enforcement to the world," he said

"The officers who do these heroic deeds don't seek out recognition," Akers said.  "Most of them feel that what they do is what they get paid to do, it's just their job," he said.  "I think the Fredericksburg community and the Commonwealth of Virginia and citizens across the country should be very grateful we have officers in the field like Joe Young."

"It was the worst night of our lives, losing Todd that night," Lt. Bill Hallam said. Hallam was the supervisor of both Joe Young and Todd Bahr, and he was the one who found Officer Bahr’s body.   "But it's great that Joe gets some recognition because he did perform absolutely above and beyond that night," Hallam said.

"It makes us [the whole squad] all feel good because everybody was a part of that night," Hallam said.  "Obviously Joe was the pivotal guy, he was right down there in the midst of it.  Everybody else played their role.  It makes us all very proud that Joe is getting the recognition he so deserves."

"When we heard he was selected for June, we wanted this ceremony held as close as possible to the anniversary so that we could combine the recognition with the remembrance," police public information officer Natatia Bledsoe said.

The next year the 12 Officer's of the Month are brought to DC. On May 13 they are introduced during the Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and on May 14 they are recognized at a luncheon and ceremony.

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