“I’m very humbled,” Hall said of his recognition. “I can think of a lot of people I work with on a regular basis who deserve it as well.”

Henry County Sheriff Ric McCorkle had nothing but praise for Hall.

“He’s one of my guys who goes above and beyond,” McCorkle said.

In a nomination letter from Sgt. Landon Dean, Hall was described as a true warrior and public servant. Dean recalled numerous recent instances in which Hall’s actions stood out, including saving a man who had fallen through ice on Summit Lake this past spring and going out of his way to help the family of a man who died in a traffic accident.

“Derek strives for the best and does everything he can to improve the law enforcement profession in our county,” Dean said. “Derek’s dedication to this department is immense, however, his dedication to the law enforcement profession is even greater ... Derek on a routine basis is self-initiating. No matter what traffic stop, alarm or incident he responds to, he always lends a helping hand.”

Hall is the first officer in a decade to receive the distinction as Monday was the first time the award has been presented since 2005.

Two officers, one from the New Castle Police Department and one from the sheriff’s department, were nominated to receive the Officer of the Year Award. Patrolman Tony Hughes was the candidate selected from the NCPD. While each was named Officer of the Year for his respective department, Hall was selected by members of the Elks Board of Trustees to win the overall Officer of the Year award.

“It was a real honor,” Hughes said of his nomination. “It’s definitely a group effort with everyone I work with.”

Hughes, who has been with the New Castle force for five years, was nominated because he has led the department with 42 operating a vehicle while intoxicated arrests, according to Police Chief Brad Catron. Hughes was also critical in obtaining grant funding from himself and another officer to attend Drug Recognition Expert Training and Certification, which helps train officers to recognize and arrest suspected impaired drivers. Hughes also works part-time as a school resource officer and is a tremendous asset to the New Castle Police Department, Catron said.

Henry County resident and gun collector Bill Bledsoe, a Chrysler retiree, started the Officer of the Year awards program in the mid-1990s with former Sheriff Butch Baker. At the time, the two started the local Crime Watch program and got the idea for the awards banquet from a national convention, Baker said.

Since it had been 10 years since the award was given, Bledsoe approached McCorkle about starting the recognition again.

“I feel like officers are often put in a very bad light and they do a lot for the community and we need to give them recognition,” Bledsoe said.” I thought maybe now is a good time to try to change people’s attitudes.”

Bledsoe donated a Smith and Wesson .44 magnum “Dirty Harry Special” handgun for the occasion, which Hall received as part of his honor.

“I’m just shocked. It’s priceless,” Hall said of the fully-engraved weapon made famous by Clint Eastwood.

Bledsoe pledged to donate a gun for the occasion for the next several years and even put the promise into his will so the tradition can continue.

Henry County Prosecutor Joe Bergacs served as a guest speaker at the event.

“I want to say thank you to all the law enforcement officers here tonight who serve Henry County,” Bergacs said. “Thank you for the contributions you make to our community and the citizens of Henry County ... Each and every one of you have saved lives. Quite simply you are heroes doing work others don’t want to do ... You are professional in times when most people wouldn’t want to be. You have patience when others would have lost it ... You have shown dedication, even at the expense of your own families and you should be commended and thanked for that.”