A sports scholarship helped Mark Brown earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and that degree aided the 1987 Beavercreek High School graduate in landing a law enforcement job in his hometown.

His 20 years of dedication to the Beavercreek Police Department brought him recognition as the 2012 Officer of the Year during the department’s annual meeting in January.

“I was surprised and honored to receive this, especially since the nomination comes from a peer in the field. That’s means a lot - that your co-workers recognize your work ethic to them and the public.”

Brown attended Eastern Michigan University on a track and field scholarship prior to becoming a Beavercreek patrol officer. After serving as an evidence technician, he became a detective 11 years ago.

Why did you go into law enforcement? “I chose police work because I have always enjoyed interacting with others. As a detective, you get to speak with and interact with a lot of people from victims, witnesses and suspects.”

Why did you become a detective? “I gravitated towards detective work after working evidence on a homicide case with the current chief, who was a detective at the time. Seeing the case come together from start to finish and be prosecuted was interesting to me,” he said.

Is there any case you’re particularly proud of? “One case that I am most proud of was the Neil Acharya case.

“He was a Wright State University student fatally struck by a hit skip driver. (The case) epitomized team work at all levels, from a citizen coming forth with vital info on the vehicle and (the) owner fleeing to West Virginia. With other Beavercreek Police Department detectives and cooperation of West Virginia State Police, we located the vehicle and valuable physical evidence, which led to successful prosecution.”

What’s the most satisfying part of your job? “It’s always nice to run into someone years after you dealt with them, good or bad, and hear them thank you for helping them or tell you that you helped changed their life.”

How would you like to be remembered as a police officer? “I want to be remembered as someone who served his hometown community with honesty and integrity and that I hopefully helped it become a safer community for my children.”

What do others think of Brown’s police work? “Mark is always willing to help anyone and continually portrays a positive attitude at work and in his dealings with the public,” said Beavercreek Police Chief Dennis Evers. “Mark is considered the ‘go-to guy’ in the Investigations Division because of his approachable nature and his dedication to the organization.”