Pierre Police Officer Drew Heaton has been named the Code Enforcement Officer of the year by the South Dakota Association of Code Enforcement.
Officer Heaton was nominated by Pierre Police Chief Jason Jones and selected by the Association for his work mitigating property maintenance violations.
Jones says property maintenance enforcement is tricky business, often requiring a lot of patience and interpersonal skills. He says Heaton uses compassion and heart to bring voluntary compliance to nuisance properties.
Heaton says code enforcement is a team effort. He works side-by-side with Andrew Mentele, Pierre City Building Inspector, and Matt Elberson, City Building Official on nearly every nuisance property issue.
Mayor Steve Harding says the team is about more than enforcement. He says they spend a lot of time making sure people have safe, sanitary living environments, often coordinating volunteer clean-up efforts themselves.
Heaton, a Sioux Falls native, has been a member of the Pierre Police force since 2014. Prior to becoming the Community Resource Officer in 2017, Heaton served as a patrol officer.
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