Oakes is named as Cheney Police Department's 2014 Officer of the Year

Cheney Police Officer Chris Oakes has been named the department's 2014 Officer of the Year. Oakes was one of five Police Department officers nominated, and selected by a committee based upon a criteria of taking care of the community, serving the public first, productivity and how well nominees do their job.

"I feel honored," Oakes said. "It's an award from my peers. I never expected that."

A native of the Tacoma area, Oakes joined the Army after graduating from Gig Harbor High School in 2002. He served one-year tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the 173rd Airborne, seeing comba...