Officer of the Year Sgt. Chris Neal speaks during the Bartlesville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 117 banquet held March 7.
Bartlesville Police Department Sgt. Chris Neal was honored during the annual Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 117 Officer of the Year banquet, held Saturday at the Bartlesville Community Center.
Lori Fullbright of Tulsa News Channel 6 was the featured speaker for the event, which was planned and sponsored by the FOP.
Neal, who studied criminal justice at Tulsa Community College, began his career with the Police Department in December 2009 as a reserve officer. He became a full-time police officer in April 2012. Prior to law enforcement, he worked as a diesel mechanic for approximately 12 years.
Neal has worked every patrol shift and has been a member of the Special Operations Team for about six years. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant on Aug. 10, 2019, and currently serves in the Patrol Division on Charlie
Shift. He is also an LEDT (Law Enforcement Driver Training) instructor and assists with the Police Explorer Post.
He is married with two children. He and his wife celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in September.
“I am so very proud of Sgt. Neal and what he stands for,” said Police Chief Tracy Roles. “He has a strong
FOP President Sgt. Nathan Mellen, center, presents awards to Jon Beckloff, left, and Ashton Coleman for their contributions and service to the Police Department. Beckloff is a member of the Bartlesville Police Department Foundation, a private foundation created to support the Police Department. Coleman has provided video/photo production on a volunteer basis for the department’s recruitment and promotional efforts.
and infectious work ethic that leads the way for others to follow. Sgt. Neal is an outstanding police officer but more importantly, he is an outstanding person. The City of Bartlesville and the Bartlesville Police Department are blessed to have Sgt. Neal on our team.”