News Channel 5 is profiling several honorees at the 2017 Law Enforcement Awards.
This year, Nicole Loshelder of the Boynton Beach Police Department has been recognized as the Police Officer of the Year.
To protect and serve is not just a motto for Officer Nicole Loshelder, it’s a lifestyle.
“I did my first ride along when I was in college, and I was hooked,” she says. “They were like ‘Oh yeah, its time for you to go home. And I was like ‘I don’t want to go home’. This is what I love.’”
5 years in, Officer Loshelder still loves the spontaneity of the job.
“Everyday is not the same thing,” Officer Loshelder says. “Everyday you’re going to experience something different, you’re going to have different challenges and you’re going to meet different people.”
She helped to save two people this year, including a man she helped pull from the brink of disaster.
“He was actually on the I-95 overpass on Boynton Beach Boulevard, about ready to jump,” Officer Loshelder says. “Finally we decided to grab him as quickly as we could, all three of us, to make sure he didn’t fall over. And we were successful in it."
She’s far more than just a beat cop.
Officer Loshelder, a self professed animal lover, works with the non-profit "Pets for Vets", which provides a companion to Veterans suffering from PTSD.
On her own time, she made a point to visit a 63-year-old robbery victim.
“I went with her to just various locations to help her get those things she needed.”
That woman was so appreciative, she wrote a thank you letter to the Police Department accompanied by a $1,000 check.
With all the recognition, the very humble officer Loshelder says she just wants to pay it forward.
“All the other people that I’ve worked together with all the way, and helped me to get to where I am…I want to do the same for them.”
Service above self, it’s what Officer Loshelder is all about.