"Officer of the Year" chosen for 2009
The Holland Police Department announces the selection of Officer Doug VanderKooy as the 2009 Officer of the year.
Holland police officer Doug VanderKooy is the department's 2009 Officer of the Year. He began at the Holland Police Department in 1988 as a reserve officer and was hired as a full time police officer in 1993. Over the years, he has been a patrol officer, traffic officer, worked in West Michigan Enforcement Team covert drug investigations, field training officer, firearms instructor, detective and community policing officer. "In all of these roles, officer VanderKooy has consistently displayed professionalism and a tremendous work ethic," according to a statement from the department. In the past year, he developed and formed the nonprofit "Racing Through Education," which has raised more than $35,000 to build a race car and provide educational programming to alert young people to the dangers which vehicles and speed can present. VanderKooy's peers nominated him for the award presented to him at a recent Christmas celebration by Holland Police Department staff and retirees.
Doug VanderKooy is Holland Police Officer of the Year
Courtesy The Holland Sentinel
VanderKooy is a community policing officer assigned to the east portion of the core city, which includes the Hope College area.