By C1 Staff
COVINGTON COUNTY, Ala. — Officer Jamey Wismer with the Covington County Pardons and Parole office was named officer of the year for the state Wednesday.
The Andalusia Star News reports that Wismer was nominated for the award by his district manager, and was one of two officers to receive the title.
He said he wasn’t expecting to win, despite a heroic event that he helped defuse as a hostage negotiator.
“A man in Conecuh County had taken some shots at his wife, and officers had chased him into Covington County,” Wismer said. “They needed help securing his vehicle under a bridge on Brooklyn Road. While we were there trying to secure the vehicle, he called out to us and said he was watching us through the scope of his rifle.”
Wismer moved the other officers away from the vehicle and decided to take on the role of negotiator with the suspect.
“I negotiated with him for 45 minutes to an hour on a cell phone trying to get him to give himself up. He finally did. We found 30 rounds of ammunition and a rifle in the woods. We wound up shutting down Brooklyn Road for two hours. He’s been charged in Conecuh County and no one got hurt.”
Wismer, who has been a parole officer for 10 years, says he enjoys his job. He has been in law enforcement for 22 years overall.