Three local public servants are being recognized for their “exceptional service.”

The Kingfisher Keith Lowry- Henry Ellyson Post 5 of the American Legion recently presented honors to Aaron Schlegel, James Schroeder and Austin Miller.

Kingfisher Police Department’s Schlegel was awarded the Police Officer of the Year, Schroeder was named the Firefighter of the Year and the sheriff’s department’s Miller the Deputy of the Year.

They were recently presented their honors by Post 5 Commander James Kale.

Their plaques read: “In recognition of exceptional service to your community, state and nation.”

Schlegel, who has been with KPD since 2013, was nominated for the honor by Chief David Catron.

He said Schlegel has “maintained an exemplary career.”

Catron said Schlegel has been one of the best drug enforcement officers during his time with the department, “including but not limited to two of the largest drug and cash seizures that has occurred in my time with the department.”

Schlegel recently was promoted to corporal, bearing with it additional responsibilities.

“Not only will Aaron maintain a high level of activity, he will be responsible for some of the field training of new officers,” Catron said.

“The department is lucky to have and to keep such a talented police officer who could easily go to a larger department.”

Schroeder was nominated by Chief Ryan Gibson, who said he polled his fellow firemen for this year’s selection.

Schroeder was their choice “and I completely agree,” Gibson said.

Schroeder has been with the department since February 2007 and was a member of the Okarche Volunteer Fire Department prior to that.

In Kingfisher, he’s risen from the rank of firefighter to captain.

“Captain Schroeder continues to show leadership on a daily basis with his shift personnel as well as with the entire department,” Gibson said, noting Schroeder wears multiple hats at the department, including being in charge of ordering all medical supplies and being a training officer.

“He rarely sits around and is al- ways busy looking for ways to improve the fire department, his shift and himself,” Gibson said.

Gibson included some comments from other firemen. Among them were:

• “He is an outstanding role model to work towards and I believe we need more firemen like him.”

• “Always goes above and beyond as well as ready for the next task.”

• “Captain Schroeder has made great strides and personal growth in leadership, skills and capabilities. He also maintains a great positive attitude that’s reflected in his shift.”

Added Gibson: “He deserves this award due to his work ethic, leadership skills, honesty, integrity and just being a great example for the firefighters to follow and learn from.”

Sheriff Dennis Banther nominated Miller for his honor.

He said although Miller is relatively new to law enforcement, he “has made an impact in Kingfisher County.”

Banther said Miller has worked multiple cases where the defendants were involved in multiple crimes.

“He has shown an aptitude for seeing crime patterns and determining who is behind the trends,” Banther said. “These cases are time consuming to work and often frustrating, however, Deputy Miller has done so without hesitation.”

Miller is currently training to be a member of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC). Banther said Miller’s request for that assignment proves “he has a passion for protecting the youth of our communities.”

Further proof of Miller’s effectiveness as a deputy, said Banther, was the fact a child dressed up as Miller for Halloween and took pictures with him.

“He has shown the ability to transcend the lines of communication with the youth to show them the positive side of law enforcement,” Banther said.

Miller is also on the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and is trained to assist in mental health crisis events.

“He is able to recognize symptoms to assist in determining what the individual is experiencing and assist them to a smooth transition to mental health treatment,” Banther said.

Dr. A.J. Johnson is a past commander of Post 5 and is currently the chairman of the Recognition Committee.

He said the annual awards are “small tokens of appreciation for these people who put themselves in danger every day to help keep us all safe.”

Added Johnson: “Just as one of the mottos of the American Legion is ‘Still Serving America,’ so, too, do these outstanding men.”