harles Crane/MDN Senior Minot Police Officer Shawn Reis was named 2022 Officer of the Year.

The City Council chamber was filled to the gills on Tuesday afternoon as officers, civilian staff and the public gathered as the Minot Police announced the recipients of the department’s 2022 awards. All nominees are submitted by their peers and voted on by a panel of previous recipients.

Officer of the Year was Senior Officer Shawn Reis, a field training officer and member of the bomb squad. Reis’s nomination letter credited him for his humility and willingness to communicate and learn from those under his command and with his supervisors. Reis was credited for approaching the day-to- day grind with a great attitude and meeting the expectations of his duties on patrol and with the bomb squad.

Three officers received an award from the North Dakota Peace Officers Association, singling them out for exceptional performance in the field. The officers’ nomination letters commended the officers for their patience, compassion and initiative in acting during life-threatening situations. The three officers were Sgt. Jared Foley and Officers Zackery Myers and Krysta Becker.

Senior Dispatcher Shanlya Van Hill was named the department’s Civilian Employee of the Year and was described in her nomination letter as “someone that is virtually irreplaceable.” Klug feted Van Hill for her generosity and willingness to assist her coworkers and step up when needed, especially in putting in more than 300 hours of overtime during a rough patch at the call center. Van Hill, who started with the department in 2017, worked 12-hour shifts on the night shift without breaks during most of the last year.

“Being nominated by your peers is the most rewarding part of the job,” Van Hill said. “That’s why I do this job, for the people I work with and for the City of Minot too, so to be recognized by them is really nice.”