Meridian Exchange Club members gathered at Red Lobster Tuesday to recognize the Meridian Police Officer, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy and Mississippi Highway Patrolman of the year.

The Exchange Club recognizes law enforcement officers each year who have gone above and beyond their normal duties and helped build up the community.

This year, the club welcomed Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell as the guest speaker. Tindell said he was grateful for the chance to share in recognizing Meridian’s law enforcement.

“It’s an honor for me to be here, particularly today, when you all are recognized for your service, and I want to thank you for that,” he said.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said the deputy being recognized, Jai Leach, had taken almost 300 impaired drivers off the road in 2022, potentially saving countless lives.

“He and the deputies that he worked with removed 295 impaired drivers from our roadways and not only possibly saved the lives of that driver but those that he or she met or those who were passengers in vehicles,” he said.

Leach said he was honored to be recognized as Deputy of the Year, and couldn’t have been successful without the sheriff’s leadership and the support from fellow deputies.

“I’ve never received anything like this,” he said. “It’s definitely an honor.”

Assistant Chief Patrick Gale said Meridian Police Department’s Officer of the Year embodied the qualities each police officer needs to have to help their communities. Officer Crystin-Reve Latta is always ready to answer a call or help her fellow officers in whatever capacity they need, he said.

“She’s a prime example of what an officer should be,” he said.

Even in the face of personal tragedy, Gale said Latte, whose partner, Kennis Croom, was killed responding to a domestic violence call on June 9, 2022, leads by example, showing other officers in the department how to turn their grief into further commitment to the community.

“Everything she’s doing keeps us motivated and thinking about what Kennis would have done,” he said.

Latte said she loves being a police officer in Meridian and enjoys helping the community in any way she could. MPD, she said, is a good department to work for and has become a place where women in particular are welcome in law enforcement.

“I feel like, not only has my department come a long way, but women in law enforcement have come a long way,” she said. “I have so many women that I work with and admire so much.”

Mississippi Highway Patrol’s Capt. Brodrick Hutchins said Trooper of the Year Camryn Lee is a model Trooper and acts as Highway Patrolmen are encouraged to act.

“In our mission statement, we have a responsibility,” he said. “It says that we seek to maintain a positive relationship with the citizens of this state via highly ethical conduct and professional public service.”

Trooper Lee, Hutchins said, meets that responsibility.

“He is that guy that has exemplified what it means to be Trooper of the Year for Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop H,” he said.

Lee said his recognition is not due to his own actions but the actions of a team of people. He said his family, fellow troopers, command staff and even other law enforcement agencies all play a role in helping him succeed.

“It’s because of them that I received this award,” he said.