Kirkland Police Chief Eric Olsen has been named 2012 Professional of the Year by the alumni association of his alma mater, Crown College near Minneapolis, Minn.
Olsen, profiled last month by Karen Story, oversees 97 officers and 30 civilians in the Kirkland Police Department and moved with his family to Minnesota as a teen.
A graduate of the college in Saint Bonifacius, Minn., Olsen earned the award for his leadership as well as his passion for others and the community, according to a KPD press release.
“Chief Olsen receives high marks when it comes to his community involvement and his passion to not just fight crime, but to invest in kids,” said Rob Wilkening, president of the Crown College Alumni executive committee. “His involvement in a nationwide campaign for child abuse and neglect prevention has spread across the country, making people aware that our future is all about the children from within our country. Chief Olsen is an alumnus of Crown College and each year we present such an award to an individual who in their professional line of work truly makes a difference in their community and the world in which they serve.”
Olsen has spoken out during Child Abuse Prevention Month (April), raising awareness about prevention programs such as those by Friends of Youth, which will , and the Nurse-Family Partnership of King County.
