Riverhead Police Officer Matthew Neknez has been named Riverhead Police Department’s Officer of the Year.
The award was announced Friday night at the Southampton Town Kiwanis Club’s annual police officer award ceremonies, which was held at the Sea Star Ballroom in Riverhead. The club honors officers of the year chosen by each of the East End police departments, as well as by the state police, county sheriff’s office and court officers.
Neknez, a three-year veteran of the Riverhead Police Department was recognized for “his consistent work ethic and professionalism,” Riverhead Police Captain Richard Smith said when he presented the award.
“Officer Neknez hit the ground running when he was hired and he has shown no signs of slowing down,” Smith said.
“In his three years with the department, he has consistently been at the top in arrests, summonses and DWI enforcement, totaling over 225 arrests and 2,500 summonses,” Smith said. “Last year, Matt was number one in arrests with 91, number one in summonses with 797 and number three in DWI arrests,” he said.
Neknez conducts himself in a very professional manner, treats the public with respect and is well-liked by his peers.
“He is in my opinion, one of the department’s “unofficial leaders,” the captain said.
Smith read excerpts from a letter sent to Neknez from a man he arrested last year. He had never been arrested before, Smith said, and was worried about how his teenage sons would think of him when they found out.
“I’m writing to you to thank you. You treated me with respect. You treated me even more than decently,” the man wrote. “You were very kind when you told me I shouldn’t worry as much as I was about my sons’ reaction.”
The man closed the letter stating, “Once again Matt, I thank you for all that you did to help me that night, and for the days afterwards when I was getting so depressed and was brought out if it by your words. Thank you does not seem adequate enough, and yet I cannot say it enough times.”
“Our character is what we do when we think no one else is looking,” Smith said, quoting H.J. Brown Jr. “Officer Neknez’s actions are a great example of that. In a time where law enforcement officers’ character is being constantly questioned, the Riverhead Police Department is proud to have Police Officer Matt Neknez as one of our members.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by John Neely
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
