Duluth police Sgt. Brad Wick picked up his third honor in a month Monday when he was named the 2012 Police Officer of the Year by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
In May, Wick received his department's highest honor -- the Medal of Valor, which is awarded to an officer who has performed an act displaying exceptional courage and extraordinary heroism while facing imminent or potentially imminent peril without regard to personal risk. He also received the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Officer of the Year award.
Wick, 51, is a native of Ely and a 26-year veteran of the department. He supervises the K-9 unit. On Aug. 28, Wick fatally shot a man who had robbed a drug store, hijacked a car at gunpoint threatening to kill the owner and then forced his way into a house where he shot the homeowner before being killed.
"If it had not been for Sgt. Wick's quick action and his bravery it clearly would have ended in a hostage situation where other innocent people could have been harmed," said Dennis Flaherty, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. "His display of quick judgment and his concern for the innocent homeowner was of the highest degree of bravery that could be displayed."
