It didn’t take years of police and detective training for City of Delaware Detective Sean Franks to know something was afoot when he saw his parents at the Delaware Police Department’s awards ceremony on Feb. 20.

“When I walked in, my family was there,” Franks said. He added his brothers live in Columbus, but his parents live two and a half hours away. “I didn’t invite them … so I knew something was going on.”

Franks said he was surprised and honored when he was given the “Officer of the Year” award by City of Delaware Chief of Police Bruce Pijanowski at the awards ceremony.

“It’s pretty cool to be recognized by your peers and your supervisors,” Franks said. “There’s a lot of guys here that are doing lots of good work. There’s 54 guys here in the department, and a lot of guys go above and beyond. Knowing that, it makes it more special.”

Franks has been with the police department for five years and was recently moved to the detective division in January. Franks said he has also been a member of the Delaware Tactical Unit, Delaware County’s multi-agency SWAT team, for the last three years, and said he was thrilled that he will be allowed to stay a member of the team even though he’s a detective.

“Sean Franks was selected as ‘Officer of the Year’ for consistently performing at a high level,” Pijanowski said. “From in-depth investigations to outreach in the community, he has displayed that he has a firm grasp of what it means to protect and serve. Although many officers were deserving, his recent accomplishments as the department’s first community impact officer set him apart. His work with his fellow officers is commendable and just one example of the commitment on display every day.”

Franks said being chosen for the award was very gratifying.

“I have a lot of respect for the guys I work for,” Franks said. “The fact that people you think really highly of recognize that you are working hard and doing good work … that’s a pretty big thing. There’s been a lot of good guys who have gotten this award before.”

Detective Sean Franks poses with City of Delaware Police Chief Bruce Pijanowski after receiving the Officer of the Year award on Feb. 20. https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/02/web1_Franks.jpg Detective Sean Franks poses with City of Delaware Police Chief Bruce Pijanowski after receiving the Officer of the Year award on Feb. 20.

By Glenn Battishill gbattishill@aimmediamidwest.com

Contact Glenn Battishill at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

Contact Glenn Battishill at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.