Officer Tufte is employee of the year
Officer Tom Tufte (left) is the 2008 Employee of the Year with the Moses Lake Police Department. Chief Dean Mitchell presented Tufte with the award Tuesday. Photo by Candice Boutilier/Columbia Basin Herald
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake police officer Tom Tufte is the 2008 Employee of the Year.
He was selected by his peers, said Police Chief Dean Mitchell during an awards ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
“Every time we needed somebody to fill a position, he was always willing to do it with a smile on his face,” he said.
Tufte served the police department for roughly five years and is a Moses Lake School District resource officer.
The chief also presented Patrol Officer Beau Montgomery with the 2007 Employee of the Year award. He recently returned to Moses Lake from a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, where he served as a major. He was previously unable to receive the award.
Montgomery worked with the police department for about six years, Mitchell said.
Officer Matt Fulbright received the 2008 Traffic Officer of the Year award for issuing the most traffic citations and being the most active officer on patrol. He issued more than 350 citations.
— Staff report