Salem names its police officer of the year

Police Officer Mark Adkins, who is assigned to the Patrol Division of the Salem Police Department, has been selected by his peers as "Officer of the Year" for 2011 after his work in solving several larcenies in the city.

"It's quite and honor to be where I am right now knowing that my fellow officers felt strongly enough to give me this award," he says. "I couldn't have done any of this without them, so I really look at this as a team award."

Adkins was able to solve two larceny cases and recover a number of stolen items by keeping his eyes open and paying attention to detail. In one of the cases, Adkins spotted a suspicious vehicle that was linked to a theft that occurred several months earlier and after pulling it over, the driver confessed to the crime. In the other instance, Adkins was recovering tools that had been stolen from a vehicle in Salem when he noticed a number of other items in the home that had been reported stolen in an unrelated burglary. He was able to return to that residence and recover those, as well.

"Mark is always very attentive and alert to his surroundings," says Salem Police Chief, Jeff Dudley. "Noticing little details like the ones that helped solve these crimes is what makes him a good police officer."

Law enforcement is a family affair for Adkins. Prior to joining the Salem Police Department as a Patrol Officer in 2008, he worked two years in the Sheriff's office at the Roanoke County-Salem Jail. In addition, his dad, Gene, was at the Roanoke County Sheriff's office for 25 years and his brother, Mike, is a Sergeant at the Western Virginia Regional Jail.

"I just enjoy working with people and my philosophy always has been to treat people with the same respect they show me until it calls for something different," he says. "I honestly had a guy call into the Police Department one day to say he appreciated me giving him a ticket."

Adkins grew up in the Glenvar area of Roanoke County and graduated from Glenvar High School and the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy.

"We are all very proud of Mark for being selected as our Officer of the Year for 2011," says Dudley. "Mark is a quiet, easy going person who is very dedicated to the citizens of Salem and the department. He is a true professional who is always willing to go out of his way to assist others."

Mark, his wife, Ann, and their daughter reside in Salem. He will formally receive the honor at the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce's 78th annual awards dinner that will be held at the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center on March 22.