St. Helens Lieutenant Recognized by Department of Defense as Patriotic Employer

Official department photo of Lt. Joe Hogue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2019

St. Helens, Ore. – On Tuesday, January 29, St. Helens Police Lieutenant Joe Hogue was presented with a Patriotic Employer award by the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program.

The award recognizes employers who contribute to national security and the protection of liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in the United States’ National Guard and Reserve Force.

St. Helens patrol officer and Oregon Army National Guard member Anthony Boswell nominated Lt. Hogue for the award. In his nomination, Officer Boswell said, “Lt. Hogue has made my ability to continue service a stress-free thing. He has been supportive of the service even though drill times and training schedules have created hard and difficult shift coverage. This is also an appreciation for all the other levels of supervisors as well as peers who have thanklessly supported my service and assisted in shift coverage during times of absence.”

Patriot Awards are awarded to individual supervisors, not an entire staff or organization. Any employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve, or the spouse of a Guard or Reserve member, may nominate a supervisor for support provided directly to the nominating Service member. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

Patrol Officer Boswell was hired by the St. Helens Police Department on April 10, 2017. He served six years in the United States Army, receiving the Army Service Medal, four Army commendation medals, three Army achievement medals, and two overseas ribbons. He was deployed twice, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. He currently serves in the Army National Guard.

Lieutenant Hogue began working for the St. Helens Police Department as a reserve officer in 1996. He was hired as a patrol officer in July 1998. During his years of service at the St. Helens Police Department, he became the use-of-force and defensive tactics instructor for the department. In 2004, he was promoted to criminal detective, sergeant in 2007, and lieutenant in 2017. In January 2014, Lt. Hogue started the Department’s Reserve Officer Academy. Lt. Hogue was one of three Oregon law enforcement officers in 2016 to travel to the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and graduate from the prestigious ten-week training session.

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For further information regarding the ESGR award, please contact Communications Officer Crystal Farnsworth at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8215.