Ravalli County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Ike Jessop was recently selected as the Montana American Legion Police Officer of the Year. Sergeant Jessop was named by American Legion Post 91 from Corvallis. After the 91s the application is here:

Post 91 appointed Jessop on the recommendation of Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton. Holton documented his reasons in a letter to Post 91 which stated in part:

“Sergeant. Jessop has earned the respect of my command staff, peers and subordinates through his top notch work ethic and exceptional leadership. sergeant. Jessop earned his Basic, Intermediate, and Supervisory Peace Officer certifications from Montana.

“Sergeant. Jessop is a shining example of humble leadership for the entire Office and the community. His work ethic and habits are exceptional, as well as his competent investigations and community approach to law enforcement. No one is more fair, honest, or ethical than Sgt. Jessop.

“Sergeant. Jessop is always the first to volunteer for additional or challenging assignments and brings the same cheerful, no-nonsense approach to every service call and interaction he has. I have come to rely on Ike’s leadership, judgment, and input for decisions regarding the Patrol Division. Ike’s decisions are always based on what’s best for the community and the Bureau, regardless of how it affects him personally. I can always count on Ike to “do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons”.

“Sergeant. Jessop has served Ravalli County as a Sheriff’s Cadet, Reserve Sheriff’s Deputy, Pinesdale Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, OSRC Field Training Officer and Corporal and is currently a Patrol Sergeant. Importantly, Sgt Jessop is a trainer and advocate for our school security program that teaches educators tactics for dealing with an armed intruder in an educational setting. He is currently my Reserve Deputy Coordinator, a role in which he excels in supervising, training, and planning Reserve Deputy Sheriffs as they provide additional law enforcement services to the office and county.

“Ike leads by example and through all the roles he has held, I know that the deputies he trains and oversees will treat everyone they come in contact with as they would want their own family to be treated.

“I have known Ike since he was a teenager and a sheriff’s caddy and the best example of Ike’s consistent exemplary performance is this; In all the years I’ve known Ike, I’ve never seen him have a bad day. We all have bad days of course, like Sgt. Jessop must have, but his performance and his attitude towards Ravalli County Police never give up.

sergeant. Jessop is a dedicated family man. He and his wife, Mauriana, have three sons and one daughter. Ike is involved in wrestling training for tweens at his local elementary school and instructs local teens and adults in the fundamentals of big game bowhunting.

Sheriff Holton thanked Randy Baird and Corvallis American Legion Post 91 for the opportunity to recognize Sgt. Jessop and said, “Post 91 has always been incredibly supportive of the men and women of the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office. We are very grateful and sincerely appreciate their efforts to recognize outstanding law enforcement service.

Holton also noted that four of the final five American Legion Law Enforcement Officers of the Year were Ravalli County Sheriff’s Deputies nominated by Post 91.