LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Following the conclusion of the memorial service held at the Lima F.O.P. Lodge, the Exchange Club named their Law Officer of the Year.
Among the four finalists who stood in front of their peers and were nominated for the award for displaying acts of bravery in the face of danger, Jacob Breitigan, detective of the Shawnee Township Police Department, came away as the recipient of this year's Law Officer of the Year Award, named after Jack Somerville.
Breitigan gave high praise to each of the finalists and the many others who have helped him along the way to receiving this honor.
"This is a hard job. It is demanding on our lives and our families' lives. To be recognized for the work that I have put in this last year, as well as just being considered for a reward, is a huge honor. I want to thank everybody that has ever provided me help and any assistance for this job because it's hard enough," commented Jacob Breitigan, detective at Shawnee Township Police Department.
Breitigan was the 56th individual to be chosen for the award.
May 8, 2024, Press Release from the Lima Exchange Club: The Lima Exchange Club presented its annual “Jack Somerville Award” to Detective Jacob Breitigan of the Shawnee Township Police Department as the 2023 Law Officer of the Year at the FOP Hall on Robb Avenue in Lima on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 following the ceremony that honors all fallen law enforcement officers in Allen County.
Breitigan’s selection came from a group of four officers who were nominated by their respective law enforcement agencies. That group included Investigator Aaron Montgomery of the Lima Police Department, Deputy Damian Tibbs of the Allen County Sheriff’s Office and Trooper Brandon Schreiber of the Lima State Highway Patrol.
Jacob Breitigan was cited for two separate actions involving civilian endangerment. On February 12, 2023 he responded to a child trapped under three sliding glass doors. He was able to lift the doors and free the child. Then on August 20, 2023, Breitigan overheard a call of a female bleeding profusely from the leg. He responded quickly to the residence, saw she was in critical condition, quickly applied a tourniquet and likely saved the woman’s life.
During 2023, Detective Breitigan was able to solve a case concerning a Facebook purchase of a camper utilizing counterfeit money to make the purchase. He recovered the camper quickly and was able to develop a successful case. Breitigan also assisted in an internet scam investigation which resulted from the theft of over $250,000 from an area resident. A sting was launched in conjunction with the FBI which led to the arrest of multiple scammers.
In addition to these big money cases, Detective Breitigan secured several convictions involving smaller property crime cases. He is a 2010 graduate of Elida High School and is a member of the First Church of New Knoxville where his wife, Victoria, is the Director of Children in Youth.
Detective Breitigan is the 56th individual to be chosen as the Exchange Club’s Law Officer of the Year. In 2018 the club named the award in honor of Jack Somerville, who organized this project for many years and who is still an active club member after chartering the club in May of 1959.
