Hamilton County Prosecutor Lee Buckingham announces his police “officers of the year” each year at about this time.  Two Fishers officers received the honor this time around.  They are Dave Finn and Jarred Koopman.

Detective Finn is a Marine Corps veteran, serving there for 5 years.  He joined the Fishers department in 2007, serving as a road officer before becoming an investigator.  “Detective Finn distinguished himself with genuine compassion toward the victims in the cases he investigates and with balanced attention to all cases, regardless of the overall seriousness of the allegations,” said Buckingham in a news release.

Road Officer Koopman has been in the news recently, as his K-9 partner Harlej died pursuing a suspect during November of 2019 in the Saxony area. Harlej became part of the Fishers Police force in 2015, with officer Koopman as his handler.  “Officer Koopman and Harlej worked tirelessly over the years and helped to take quantities of drugs, large and small, off of our county’s streets,” Prosecutor Buckingham said.

Buckingham also recognized Detective Mike Haskett of the Noblesville Police Department as a third Officer of the Year.

This year proved a particularly difficult year in which to choose the Officers of the Year, according to Buckingham, due to the large number of potential candidates.