By Mark Blanton
Southeast Missourian
CAPE GIRADEAU COUNTY, Mo. — The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department recognized seven of its employees Wednesday during the annual Timothy J. Ruopp Award and the Copeland Excellence Awards.
Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan presided over the event at the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center in Jackson. The ceremony was held in recognition of National Law Enforcement Week.
The Timothy J. Ruopp Award has been presented to the outstanding officer of the year since 1984, Jordan said. Ruopp, a former officer at the sheriff’s department, was killed in the line of duty while working for the San Diego Police Department in California.
Jordan, along with a member of the Ruopp family, presented the Timothy J. Ruopp Award to Cpl. James Malugen of the investigations division. In a prepared statement, Malugen said the award “means so much to me” and thanked his fellow officers and the Ruopp family.
Malugen began working for the department in 2007 as its domestic violence investigator, but was promoted in January to corporal in the investigations division. Malugen is known for his “great communication and interviewing skills,” Jordan said.
Full story: Officers recognized during annual awards ceremony