CHESTERFIELD – A Chesterfield police officer was recently honored with an award named in honor of fallen Virginia State Police Special Agent Mike Walter of Powhatan.
On Jan. 23, Officer Harrison Hankins with the Chesterfield County Police Department, was presented with the 2022 Mike Walter Memorial Officer of the Year Award. Hankins is the first recipient of the award, which is named in honor of Walter, who died May 27, 2017, as a result of being shot in the line of duty.
Jaime Walter, Mike’s wife, presented Hankins with the award, describing him as someone who encompasses the values, morals and the drive to want to do more beyond the badge because he wants to, not because he has to – characteristics also embodied by her late husband.
Hankins is a narcotics detective in Chesterfield and formerly worked for the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office, she said during the presentation. He is also veteran of the U.S. Marines with extensive combat experience who received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Afghanistan.
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Hankins also founded a nonprofit called Unit 2 Back Outdoors, which connects first responders who have been in traumatic incidents and sends them on hunting and fishing trips, among other events, to combat suicide and self-harm tendencies and allow for post-traumatic growth. He saw the gap and wanted to help those in need, she added.
“That mission in itself speaks volumes of you Officer Hankins – volumes,” Jaime Walter said.
Before presenting the award, Jaime Walter talked about her husband, who was an 18-year veteran of the state police, a former Richmond Capitol Police Officer and a marine veteran who found in the Persian Gulf War. He was also a husband, father, son, mentor and coach to many. In particular, he dedicated much of his time to the Blackhawk Gym wrestling program and mentoring the youth there.
Jaime Walter noted that being a law enforcement officer already asks a great deal of the men and women who wear the badge, so when they “go beyond the badge” to continue to help people, their sacrifice needs to be recognized.
Col. Jeffrey Katz, Chesterfield Chief of Police, said that while he never met Mike Walter, he has heard “so many wonderful things about him.” Turning to Hankins, he told him “what you bring to this profession, what you bring to this community is reflective of everything I’ve heard about Mike.”
“We pride ourselves in having a staff that is humble and hungry and smart, and all of those things, Harrison, you embody. I am so monumentally proud of you,” Katz said, adding that he embodies the aspects of what they want not only as a police officer but as a community leader.
Deputy Keith Culver, VALE Foundation acting president and public information officer for the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office, presented Hankins with a plaque, a $200 donation to Unit 2 Back Outdoors and a few other gifts. The Virginia Law Enforcement (VALE) Foundation, is a nonprofit organized and founded in May 2020 with the purpose of remembering and honoring fallen Virginia law enforcement officers and assisting officers in times of financial need.
Hankins said his nonprofit is “not about me, it is about paying it forward.”
Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.
