18-02-2025
Waterford police names its officer of the year
Waterford — The police department has given its Officer of the Year" award to Zachary Bushwack.
Police Chief Marc Balestracci, who presented Bushwack with the award last week in the department's community room, said it's given annually to the officer who exemplifies leadership, willingness to help their fellow officers and goes "above and beyond" their service to the community.
"Really it's (for) officers who are taking on more than they have to," Balestracci said. "They are providing real value to our community. And not only are we seeing it out there, but the people in the building are also seeing it."
He said Bushwack, 33, was nominated by several of his fellow officers.
One thing Balestracci said had impressed him about by Bushwack, was how he handled an assignment to train and develop a fellow police officer.
"This task was challenging on many levels, yet Officer Bushwack not only accepted this task willingly, he delivered results that were sought," he said.
"I held a meeting with 11 of our newest officers last year, and I was informed by the majority in attendance of his incredible work and leadership that he delivers on the road and to the public he serves, as well as to the officers he works with," he said.
Bushwack, an officer here since 2019, kept his reception speech brief, thanking officers, administrators and family members.
"Hopefully I can keep improving and progressing here," he added.
Bushwack later said he wants to "make sure that the agency as a whole, the guys that who coming up with me, that I work with, that we're all on the same page and we can do good work. We've got a hard-working department here."
"There is not a single bad thing I can say about the guys we work with," he added.
The award came with a pin for Bushwack's uniform, a plaque, a $50 gift card and having his name engraved on the plaque that hangs in the community room.
Balestracci said a few months ago Bushwack had been presented with the Chief's Award, for his willingness to provide emotional support to members of another police department in the wake of an officer's suicide. The Waterford department had dealt with the same issue two years ago.
"We went up to that department, and they had a debrief, and we talked with them, and told them kind of what we went through as a department. And how we grieved, and how we got through that process. And he volunteered to do that," Balestracci said.
"It was kind of a similar scenario, without getting into details," Bushwack said. "There wasn't much that we could do, or say, but we knew how they felt, so it was more of just — a support outlet.
