McLean District Station Police Officer Honored Tonight

A McLean District Station police officer who made 44 arrests last year, the majority for drug-related activities, has been named the McLean District Police Officer of the Year.

Private First Class Aaron Spooner, who joined the department after graduating from the Criminal Justice Academy in 2006, initiated most of the four dozen arrests. He continually checked local schools and apartment complexes for signs of criminal activity. As a member of the bike team, he was able to patrol parks and other areas unreachable by car where offenses were being committed.

Officer Spooner will be honored tonight at a dinner sponsored by the McLean District Citizens Advisory Committee. The Citizens Advisory Committee annually honors a McLean District officer for outstanding work.

"He is the guy that I know will fix a problem before it actually becomes a problem," said Lt. Anthony Matos, head of the bike patrol and Spooner's supervisor. "I nominated him for his dedication to this department, dedication to this station and the community.

"He's not the type to sit around."

And not sitting is partially the inherent nature of Spooner's job. Along with other members of the five-person bike team, Spooner can sometimes ride more than 30 miles during a shift. He joined this team two years ago. He previously worked evening and night shifts and was also part of the Franconia police district.

Spooner, 29, can't hide his team-player character. He dislikes talking about himself and constantly shifts the attention to his fellow officers. When asked about a case, he remembers for the efforts the team put into it, he pauses for a moment and then briefly elaborates on a cocaine seizure.

"We were able to set up on the house and obtain a search warrant," Spooner said of the drug bust.     

A question about his work duties leads him to say that "We (bike team) talk to the community about bike safety. We talk about not being afraid of the police. We try to be approachable."

The first person singular never comes up. And that's one of the reasons the district is honoring Spooner. In a police department, team-thinking is praised.

When Spooner's partner transferred, his supervisor said, Spooner worked with a series of different officers always demonstrating a collaborative spirit.

"He's always looking for ways to challenge himself and stay ahead of the issues that may come up in McLean and Tyson's," Matos said. "He's not afraid of addressing problems in the community."

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The first person singular never comes up. And that's exactly one of the reasons the department is honoring Spooner. In a police department, a we-type of thinking is praised.

When Spooner's partner transferred, his supervisor said, Spooner worked with a series of different officers always demonstrating a collaborative spirit.

"He's always looking for ways to challenge himself and stay ahead of the issues that may come up in McLean and Tyson's," Matos said. "He's not afraid of addressing problems in the community."