“Top Cops” honorable mention goes to two Iowa City officers

Iowa City police officer Paul Batcheller and Detective Mike Smithey have each been recognized with an honorable mention ”TOP COPS” for their ability to quickly resolve resolve an armed robbery that occurred at the Sycamore Mall Dollar Tree in Iowa City on October 12, 2010.

According to a press release, Batcheller and Smithey were able to determine that the robbery suspect was waiting to take a bus out of Iowa City after they contacted local cab companies and asked about their recent fares. The suspect was apprehended soon after.

Every year the National Association of Police Organizations selects ten cases from across the United States, United States territories, and the District of Columbia to receive TOP COPS Awards. A single case from each state receives an Honorable Mention Award.

Batcheller has been with the Iowa City Police Department since 1995. He was recently named the Iowa City Police Department's 2010 Officer of the Year, and was also the recipient of the Kip Hayward Award from the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau.

Smithey has been with the Iowa City Police Department since 2001 and was the Iowa City Police Department's  Officer of the Year in 2009.

Batcheller and Smithey represented the State of Iowa and received their awards in Washington, D.C. at the annual TOP COPS Awards ceremony on  May 12.  While in Washington D.C., Batcheller and Smithy also placed an Iowa City Police Department patch at the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial under the name of Edward Leeny, an officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1926, a press release said.