Sgt. Mike Jones of the Helena Police Department won again last Wednesday.

In July, the Helena Police Explorer Advisor was awarded the National Law Enforcement Explorer Advisor of the Year award by other Law Enforcement Explorer advisors. Now, after a nomination from chief of Helena Police Department, the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) awarded Sgt. Jones with the Excellence Award &8220;for outstanding demonstration of professional excellence as a Sergeant.&8221;

Grateful for the award, Sgt. Jones said, &8220;To be selected as overall winner is a huge honor,&8221; then added, &8220;but in my heart I believe that every officer in the streets, especially around Birmingham metro area, all deserve a bit of recognition for excellence.&8221;

Lynn Shobe, chairman of the law enforcement committee of the Birmingham chapter of the ASIS said Sgt. Jones stood out from other officers since, &8220;Not only is he giving students an opportunity to see law enforcement in a positive light, but by working with them they see what law enforcement is like from the inside.&8221; He added, &8220;He probably has more impact on future generations of law enforcers than anyone I can think of.&8221;

Sgt. Jones&8217; impact on youth stems from foundations laid at Helena Police department. He said, &8220;We believe in community oriented policing, so all of our officers make the effort to get to know their citizens on a first name basis. They taught me from early on that in our community, people matter.&8221;

Up next for the sergeant &045; &8220;The International Association of Chiefs of Police invited me to come and be a workshop presenter for the Department of Justice the first week in October.&8221; The association will fly Sgt. Jones to

Washington D.C. to present on volunteers, police service and community relations, as well as talk about what makes a successful law enforcement Exploring program.

&8220;I believe the success of any program and individual can only be attributed to the support and the foundations that surround that program or person. I wouldn&8217;t be able to do the work I do with our law enforcement or the programs in the state or the national level without the support of my fellow officers.&8221;