Photo by Jay Hastings
Bartlesville Police Department Cpl. Brad Dunkle was honored Saturday after being named Officer of the Year by the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 117.
Born in Bartlesville, Dunkle grew up and attended school in Dewey, graduating from Dewey High School in 2007. He attended Pittsburg State University on a track scholarship and began his law enforcement career with the Dewey Police Department in 2011.
He joined the Bartlesville Police Department on Oct. 23, 2017, assigned to the Patrol Division’s evening shift. During that time he became a member of the BPD Special Operations Team and served as a Field Training Officer, training new officers on the evening shift portion of their rotation. On May 8, 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and was assigned to the day shift, where he currently serves. He will soon attend instructor school for Law Enforcement Driver Training.
Dunkle and his fiancé Aspen have two sons, Maverick and Tucker.
“Cpl. Dunkle started with the Bartlesville Police Department in 2017, and since that time he has made our department a better place,” said Police Chief Tracy Roles. “Cpl. Dunkle treats everyone with unconditional respect. He epitomizes what a peace officer should be. He is compassionate, caring and fair. We are so fortunate to have Cpl. Dunkle on the BPD Team. I am so proud of him and his selection as the Officer of the Year.”