State Rep. Deb Kolste, D-Janesville, has named a Janesville police officer as the 44th Assembly District’s first responder of the year.
Officer Steve Carpenter was chosen for his work developing the police department’s drone program.
Carpenter is a certified drone pilot and uses the department’s drone to capture suspects fleeing a scene at night or in other situations with low visibility. His work has increased the department’s first-response practices, Maria Konecke, a Kolste staffer, said in an email to The 69.
Score one for the eye in the sky. Janesville police used a drone camera to nab a man police say ran from an officer and tried to hide Thursday night.
In April, Carpenter used the drone to find a wanted man hiding from police.
Carpenter in March was among several officers honored by the police department for his role in saving two people during a domestic-related shooting incident on the city’s south side.
Kolste’s office chose Carpenter based on a nomination from the city, Konecke said.
This is the first year for the first responder of the year program. Representatives from each district had the opportunity to choose a first responder, Konecke said.
“Rep. Kolste hopes that the opportunity to recognize the community’s first responders continues,” she said.
Carpenter will be recognized on the state Assembly floor Thursday, Oct. 10.
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