Officer of the year

A little more than five years into his career with the Kalispell Police Department, Jason Parce already has made a name for himself through his work as a school resource officer and in alcohol and DUI enforcement.

But now the 31-year-old Moscow, Idaho, native will be known for something more.

In a mid-May ceremony, the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police named Parce the state’s officer of the year.

“I didn’t even know I was being nominated for it,” Parce said. “I received a letter back in the first part of May basically saying I was invited to be a guest at a banquet. I was going to be down there anyway helping out with the Special Olympics Summer Games, so it just happened to work out.”

Even as Parce was eating his dinner at the event, he had no idea and nearly missed his name being called.

“They just ask you to come forward, and you stand there. They ask your chief to come stand next to you, and then the moderator reads off the biography of the officer or the situation, depending on what you’re being nominated for,” Parce said. “Halfway through he said, ‘By the way, this is your officer of the year for the state of Montana.’”

Unbeknownst to Parce, Kalispell Chief Roger Nasset had sent in a letter earlier in the year recommending Parce for the honor. In that letter, Nasset wrote that no one single action but rather all of the positive things he does for the community set Parce apart.

He pointed out that Parce already had accumulated several awards in his short time as an officer with the department. Parce received the Kalispell Police Department meritorious service medal in 2008, state awards in 2009 and 2011 for interdiction in medical emergencies resulting in lives being saved, and a KPD exceptional service award in 2012.

“He really is an officer that has the values, honesty, integrity, and professional competence that we look for in a police officer,” Nasset said.

PARCE RECENTLY completed his fourth year as a school resource officer, working out of Glacier High School. That responsibility represents the largest chunk of his work, 

“The coolest thing so far, and one reason I want to stay, is that this senior class were freshmen my first year as an SRO,” Parce said. “We came in together for the first time, and I got to see them throughout their entire high school careers. It kind of struck me last month.”

He said while his relationship with students isn’t quite like a normal friendship because he’s so much older than them, he found himself taking responsibility for the success of some of the students, helping to keep them on track.

“Some of them wouldn’t even talk to me when they were freshmen and sophomores, whether they were in trouble or just didn’t like cops,” Parce said. “But then you see them their senior year and they’re in and out of my office every day, joking with me, treating me like an individual, not just a cop who’s here to get them in trouble.”

And despite the large workload that comes with being a school resource officer, Parce doesn’t miss any opportunities to get out on the streets and take part in the normal day-to-day work of the department.

“I still get to work plenty of night shifts on patrol on the weekends,” he said. “I usually work two to three weekends a month, cover shifts for guys on holidays and do DUI enforcement on the weekends. I’m happy as long as I get the diversity of the job.”

Overall, he is pleased with where his career has brought him and has no plans to change a thing.

“At this point I’ve been told that I can stay in this position as long as the school’s happy, my department’s happy, and I’m happy, so I don’t see any transitions in the future at this point.”

AS FOR THE AWARD, Parce said it is truly recognition not only of his work, but also of the quality of leadership in the department, referring specifically to Nasset and retired Capt. Jim Brenden. Both  have served as mentors to Parce.

“I just watched them. Both in their personal lives and their professional lives, they’re leaders. They’ve allowed me to be involved in everything I’m involved in, and have the confidence in me to let me go and work and not micromanage me,” Parce said. 

“I’ve always tried to surround myself with those kind of people. It makes it easy to do your job, especially in a job like this where every day isn’t necessarily a good day.”

Parce isn’t the only person to sing the praises of Brenden, since he also was recognized at the ceremony, receiving the Life Saving award.

On Oct. 11 last year, Brenden was driving on Third Avenue East in his unmarked cruiser when he noticed a man in a pickup truck with a garden hose running from the exhaust into the window. Brenden drove around the block to confirm what he had seen and called for patrol units, then sneaked up behind the vehicle, removing the hose from the exhaust.

“It’s pretty clear his keen eye, situational awareness and quick actions saved the life of that man that day,” Nasset said.

Also recognized was Kalispell Police Sgt. Myron Wilson, who received the association’s Medal of Valor for his initial response to the fatal shooting of Dan Fredenberg.

“Believing that others may be in danger and that it could even be an active shooter situation, he determined that he would respond immediately before backup arrived,” Nasset said. “He was recognized for his courage and superior decision making in response to this rapidly evolving and extremely dangerous situation that he had very little information about.”

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.