INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - An Indianapolis Metro Police Department officer was honored for his work with victims.
Detective Nate Schmidt was one of six officers nominated for the 34th Ruthann Popcheff Memorial Award. His supervisor says his humility, compassion and kind heart make him a good asset to their team. Schmidt's supervisor, Scott Teagardin, says he's proud of him.
"Victim after victim, he's able to treat every case individually and work extremely hard and be compassionate and talk with the victims through their experience and guide them through the process of healing," said Teagardin.
The award is named for Ruthann Popcheff, the first civilian supervisor of the department's Victim Assistance Unit, according to an IMPD release. Popcheff passed away suddenly in the 1980s.
Her son, Greg, is an officer with IMPD.
"She was one of those people who gave and gave. It wasn't unusual for her to take money out of her own pocket to give to victims," said Lisa Brown, IMPD Victim Assistance Manager. "Ruthann's family is still involved with the unit – when we go on scenes of different crimes her mother will call after she sees one of us on TV to ask if we are doing okay."
Teagardin says Schmidt is not just a good investigator, but he also gets convictions for the crimes he works on.
Other nominees for the award included Detective Scott Scheid, Detective Brian Schemenaur, Officer David Carney, Officer Michael Price and Officer Eric Reidenbach. The award is presented during National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
