Attorney General Tim Griffin today honored law enforcement officers from across Arkansas at the 2024 Officer of the Year Awards luncheon. At the conclusion of the event, Griffin issued the following statement:
“Each year we honor the service, sacrifice, and dedication of Arkansas’s law enforcement with the Officer of the Year Awards. The men and women we’ve recognized today have shown outstanding courage and commitment to their communities in the past year. As we celebrate the ways they have gone above and beyond to keep Arkansans safe, we honor not just these few, but all law enforcement officers.
“This year’s state Officer of the Year is Chief Deputy John Cutrell of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. During the mass shooting at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce on June 21, 2024, Chief Deputy Cutrell was near the scene when calls began to come in. Chief Deputy Cutrell immediately jumped into action to assist law enforcement, paramedics, and victims. While on scene, he aided a paramedic by driving the ambulance to the hospital while the paramedic was treating a severely injured victim. Chief Deputy Cutrell then helped the paramedic transport the victim to their room so the medical staff could provide further medical treatment. Afterward, Chief Deputy Cutrell immediately returned to the Mad Butcher grocery store and began preserving the crime scene.
“The victim Chief Deputy Cutrell assisted that day is alive because of the chief deputy’s actions. In a situation of chaos and violence, Chief Deputy Cutrell demonstrated strength, compassion, and courage. He was among many heroes in Fordyce that day, and his actions are representative of the best of law enforcement in our state.
“As the top law enforcement officer in the state, I am committed to supporting and working with Arkansas’s law enforcement community to ensure they can continue to protect and serve our citizens at the highest levels of excellence and professionalism.”
Honorees are officers from each of the state’s counties, five regional winners, two recipients of the Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award, four valor tributes (officers who died in the line of duty) and one statewide Officer of the Year. This year’s honorees are:
Statewide Officer of the Year: Chief Deputy John Cutrell, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office
Original source can be found here.