Sergeant Trevor Winkel (third from left) received the Excellence in Service Award for Otsego County. The award was presented by the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan to recognize Winkel’s work in promoting domestic violence victim safety and offender accountability. Also pictured are (from left) Michael Rola, Otsego County Prosecuting Attorney; Amy Strohpaul, WRCNM Counselor/Advocate; Winkel; Otsego County Sheriff Matthew Nowicki, Manda Breuker, Otsego County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney; and Terri Thomasma, Victims Advocate with Otsego County Prosecutors Office.

Sergeant Trevor Winkel of the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department is the recipient of the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) 2014 Excellence in Service Award for Otsego County. The award recognizes five law enforcement officers in each of the counties served by the WRCNM who promote domestic violence victim safety and offender accountability.

“Domestic Violence is a crime that, unfortunately, has been growing in numbers due to economic problems and to victims and witnesses speaking out,” said Winkel after receiving the award. “We, as Law Enforcement, need to be vigilant in investigating this crime on a case by case basis and conduct a thorough investigation to get to the truth. As Law Enforcement Officers, we need to remember that we often become the voice of the silent victims,” said Winkel.

Sheriff Matthew Nowicki thought the award given to Winkel was well deserved saying, “I believe this is a prime example of what can happen when Law Enforcement takes that extra step when investigating a complaint, especially a domestic violence complaint, to truly find out what actually took place. Through experience and investigative skill, Sergeant Winkel was able to make an arrest, protect and quite possibly save the life of one of the citizens of Otsego County. This was an excellent piece of police work and he is quite appropriately being recognized for it.”

Otsego County Prosecuting Attorney, Michael Rola, provided a statement regarding Winkel’s selection for the award, “Although some people may have the opinion that individuals like Sergeant Winkle who serve in law enforcement or other branches of the criminal justice system dealing with issues of domestic violence, or other types of assaultive matters, do so for their own personal glorification. I have known Trevor for many years and can unequivocally state that he and others like him do what they do for a living, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of others. That being said, it is always nice to see one’s efforts recognized, and I feel that Sergeant Winkle’s receipt of this award was well deserved.”

Otsego County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Manda Breuker had additional comments regarding Winkel’s selection, “I support the nomination of Sergeant Trevor Winkel for the 2014 Excellence in Service award. He has shown dedication to pursuing justice through his work at the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department. He has been an advocate for crime victims and shown leadership despite the many challenges of working in the criminal justice system.”

Those receiving awards were selected by WRCNM counselor/advocates who provide support services and advocacy for domestic abuse survivors and also work in cooperation with law enforcement in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties. Other award honorees for 2014 are: Deputy Mark McCool, Antrim County; Under Sheriff Chuck Vondra, Charlevoix County; Deputy Jeffrey Bur, Cheboygan County; and Deputy Phil Copeland, Emmet County.