Charles Crane/MDN From left to right are Minot Police Department Officer of the Year Gannon Miller, Interim Police Chief Dale Plessas and Civilian Employee of the Year Digital Analyst Becky Heringer in the City Council Chambers at Minot City Hall on Monday.

The Minot Police Department handed out its Officer and Civilian Employee of the Year awards at a ceremony in Minot City Hall on Monday for their contributions to the department’s mission in the community.

The Minot Police Department began awarding an employee of the year in 1977, which has evolved over the years into separate awards given to an officer and a civilian employee. The nominees are determined by nomination letters from their fellow employees, with the winners chosen by a selection committee made up of former winners.

Interim Minot Police Chief Dale Plessas noted the staff led nature of the award made it a “big deal” to even be nominated. “Probably one of the most important things we do is recognize our officers when they do great work and our employees when they do great work. This isn’t my award. This isn’t the command staff’s award. This is the officers’ award and the employees’ award,” Plessas said. “You’ve been recognized today by those most important to you, which is the people you work with. So thank you for everything you do.”

Plessas took time during the presentation to acknowledge all of the nominees, which included dispatchers Ashleigh Lonis and Shanlya Van Hill who were nominated for the Civilian Employee of the Year; and Master Officer Memorie Andrade, Senior Officer Alex Harrington and Officer Peggy Pfeiffer for Officer of the Year.

Plessas shared comments included in the nomination letters for all the nominees and the winners, which were Digital Analyst Becky Heringer for Civilian Employee of the Year, and Task Force Officer Gannon Miller for Officer of the Year.

Heringer’s nomination letters described her as an “invaluable member of the team,” and as a “cornerstone of this department,” for her role in securing and managing digital data from cell phones and from reviewing other evidence. Heringer was lauded for her positive attitude despite a significant workload, all while working diligently to develop a digital forensic system to aid investigations.

“Her meticulous approach ensures minimum to no error, a quality which is truly exceptional in this line of work,” Plessas said, “By doing so, she holds officer’s accountable and safeguards the integrity of investigations, preventing cases from being compromised by search and seizure errors.”

Miller was nominated for his role working with the Ward County Narcotics Task Force, which was described in one of his nomination letters as, “nothing short of exceptional.” One of Miller’s nomination letters cited Miller’s contributions to 44 cases he initiated in 2024, which resulted in the seizure of more than $365,000, 44,000 fentanyl tablets, more than 900 grams of fentanyl powder, 300 grams of heroin, 15,000 grams of methamphetamine, 96 grams of cocaine, 21 grams of mushrooms, 3,800 grams of marijuana, seven guns and two vehicles.

Miller is also a member of the Minot SWAT team, and as a senior officer on the task force is at the forefront of training his fellow officers and assisting other departments throughout the state. Miller’s efforts with the task force were credited in his nomination letters for removing large amounts of dangerous drugs from the streets, and undermining the criminal organizations which distribute them in the Minot community.

“Task Officer Miller understands what it takes to turn a case into a large-scale investigation. One of the most important traits that he possesses is that I’ve never heard one person say something negative about him,” Plessas said. “The Minot Police Department is fortunate to have an employee like Gannon Miller. Gannon is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done even if it means sacrificing personal time.”

Miller thanked his fellow officers in the Minot Police Department after receiving his award, saying he wouldn’t be able to succeed without them.

“I know I’m the one who got recognized, but I know the incredible work that the Minot Police Department does, so thank you,” Miller said.