METHUEN — Chief Scott J. McNamara and Mayor Neil Perry are pleased to announce that Lt. James Gunter has been selected as the 2021 Methuen Exchange Club Police Officer of the Year.
Chief Scott J. McNamara and Mayor Neil Perry are pleased to announce that Lt. James Gunter has been selected as the 2021 Methuen Exchange Club Police Officer of the Year.
Lt. Gunter was recognized at an awards ceremony at the Irish Cottage on Tuesday, Nov. 16. He was nominated for the award by Capt. Randy Haggar.
Lt. Gunter joined the Methuen Police Department in 1998 as a police officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and lieutenant in 2018.
He was selected for this honor due to his leadership qualities, professionalism, dedication, compassion, ability to inspire and motivate others, as well as his willingness to help those in need. He also was chosen due to his positive influence on staff throughout the department.
Additionally, over the past year, Lt. Gunter has been instrumental in implementing a Critical Incident Stress Management Team within the department, which provides support to officers and professional staff who have responded to serious, critical or tragic calls for service that are especially difficult to process.
“Congratulations to Lt. Gunter on this well-deserved recognition,” Chief McNamara said. “While this honor is usually awarded to officers based on a specific act of heroic service, Lt. Gunter embodies what is it to be a hero on a daily basis, including through his efforts to support his fellow officers’ mental health and wellbeing.”
“Lt. Gunter is a valuable member of our city’s Police Department, and is incredibly worthy of this honor,” Mayor Perry said. “Each day he demonstrates his ability to inspire others to work cooperatively and effectively to make the department the best it can be at serving the city of Methuen’s residents.”
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