One officer from each law enforcement agency in Rutherford County is recognized as the Officer of the Year by Rutherford County Crime Stoppers every year.  Officer Travis Wilson was recognized as the Officer of the Year for La Vergne on Monday, July 21. 

According to the La Vergne Police Department, Wilson has demonstrated his ability to remain ever vigilant and exhibits his drive to express the presence of professionalism in all aspects of his duties. Wilson is recognized as an officer who takes “looking beyond the traffic stop” very seriously and was able to develop leads to solve numerous multi-agency burglaries from the origin of a standard traffic stop.

Wilson was also named because he subdued and apprehended two suspects who had driven through a house following a DUI pursuit. Additionally, he is a model SWAT team member and a motorcycle officer. After completing his motorcycle certification, he won the motorcycle rodeo.

“We are extremely proud of Officer Wilson,” said Chief Mike Walker.  “Recently, during a foot pursuit of an armed known felon, Travis was seriously injured while conducting the take-down and apprehension of the suspect who refused to stop. Even though he was injured, he was still able to locate and secure the suspect’s stolen firearm, which had been dropped, before it could become a danger to a citizen. Officer Wilson has endured two different surgeries in the last few weeks and anxiously awaits the day that he is fully recovered and can return to work to continue to protect our community.”

Wilson has been a police officer with La Vergne for nearly three years.  He was recognized along with the officers selected from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, Murfreesboro Police Department, Smyrna Police Department, and the MTSU Department of Public Safety.