(3/30) Apart from the other countless ways the Thurmont Lions Club becomes actively involved in the community, each year, the Thurmont Lions Club takes the time to honor one of the town’s Police Officers for their outstanding work within the Police Department. On March 12, Jonathan Hamrick, Chairperson for the Thurmont Lions Club Police Officer of the Year Committee, proudly presented the 2018 Police Officer of the Year Award to Officer First Class Brian Donovan.

Donovan began his career with the Thurmont Police Department in September 2017. During his time thus far, Donovan has excelled in many areas of police work with a special emphasis on traffic safety enforcement, and has made more than 353 stops and issued more than 458 violations since September 2017. As a result of these stops, Donovan has made sixteen arrests for traffic offenses and drug offenses and has discovered several wanted persons in the Thurmont and surrounding area.

Since his time with the Thurmont Police Department, Donovan has saved the lives of three people in the community suffering from drug overdoses by utilizing the Narcan program, and saved many more lives in his time prior to joining the Thurmont Police Department. In turn, Donovan has received life-saving awards for his actions, for without him, the lives of many would have been lost.

Off duty, Officer Donovan’s time is spent serving the citizens of Thurmont in a volunteer capacity as the Lieutenant of the Thurmont Fire Department. In a letter sent to the Officer of the Year Committee, Thurmont Police Chief Greg Eyler stated that the amount of time Donovan commits to serving the community both on and off duty is only one of the reasons he was nominated. "Officer Donovan is always willing to pick up an extra shift or go the extra mile when asked. He willingly accepts new challenges or new projects for the department."

Donovan was presented with a plaque, gift certificate and a donation was made to his charity of choice. "We thank you for your continued service and support for this community," stated Hamrick.