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Four years ago, Billie Brown knew she wanted to be a McDowell County sheriff’s deputy and she proved that she would settle for no less. Today, she’s not only earned that spot but she’s also earned the title Officer of the Year.
She accepted the award at a Sheriff’s Office dinner in December.
Brown completed basic law enforcement training at McDowell Technical Community College in 2011 and immediately set her sights on the Sheriff’s Office. However, there were no full-time job openings at the time. She started working part-time in the jail then became a full-time telecommunicator. After her stint behind the radio, she took to the roads on patrol and eventually worked her way up to a detective spot in 2012.
“We wanted Billie here,” said Sheriff Dudley Greene. “She came highly recommended. Her instructors were very impressed with her.”
She was chosen among her BLET peers as the recipient of the Josh Williams Memorial Award. Each year, a student is “selected by the instructors as the outstanding recruit who best represents our memory of Josh.” Williams, an Old Fort police officer, died in a motor vehicle crash while on duty in February 2007.
Brown felt the call of law enforcement years ago when she was working at a local plant as layoffs loomed.
“I just decided I needed another career,” she said. “I love every part of this job – the chase, solving crimes, getting a victim’s property back.”
“She’s a hard worker, takes her cases seriously and is self-motivated,” said Greene. “She doesn’t have to be asked to do something. Instead, she asks how she can help. She has become one of our most effective detectives.”
In nominating her for Officer of the Year, Brown’s supervisor, Capt. Shanon Smith, said she is dedicated to her job and the community.
“She has developed into an outstanding detective,” Smith wrote. “Billie is always on the go and one who never needs prodding about being active with her cases.”
It’s a rare occasion, but when Brown isn’t working, she loves spending time with her family, which includes her 22-year-old daughter, Monica Minish; her 18-year-old son, Aaron Minish; and her 2-year-old granddaughter, Malorie, who she says is the love of her life.