Benton Police Chief Kirk Lane has been honored with a Mayoral Distinguished Medal of Merit by Benton Mayor David Mattingly. The mayor said there isn’t a better person to bestow the inaugural award to than the leader of the Benton Police Department.
“I can’t imagine a better choice,” Mayor Mattingly said. “I am very proud to announce Chief Kirk Lane as the first recipient of the Mayoral Distinguished Medal of Merit.”
The mayor said there are specific qualifications a candidate must meet to receive this award of excellence, and that Chief Lane exemplifies the qualities of leadership, reputation, community involvement, management skills, and character. Chief Lane also goes above and beyond the normal job requirements and is accomplished with perseverance, tenacity, and dedication to duty, the mayor said.
“When considering the characteristics for the potential recipient, leadership was at the top of the list,” Mayor Mattingly said. “This individual, who through his personal behavior as well as professional conduct, demands respect and motivates others to follow his lead. Once leadership was identified as a strong attribute of this individual, from that point on his reputation dominated the discussion.”
“Needless to say, his positive persona and image in the eyes of others certainly fosters the definition of respect. Chief Lane is highly respected statewide, as well as at the national level, as he has been asked to teach multiple programs and speak at numerous events and proceedings.”
Mayor Mattingly said the depth a person gets involved in the community, and the willingness to work outside the scope of typical job functions, was an important part of the evaluation process for the award.
“Chief Lane exemplifies that every day in the various activities and community outreach programs he not only participates in, but has personally created or been an advocate for developing,” Mayor Mattingly said. “He has developed a strong community policing policy as demonstrated by multiple programs, and he speaks at numerous activities, coordinates use of resources for community events and outreach programs.”
Another important factor in the evaluation and selection process is management skills. Mayor Mattingly said the recipient must consistently demonstrate, through his or her actions, respect from subordinates, while creating an atmosphere of overall mutual trust from and within peer groups and is recognized as a firm but fair disciplinarian. He said that Chief Lane not only met, but “exceeded all of these traits.”
The character of the person is the final evaluation process. Mayor Mattingly said the recipient must demonstrate integrity, honesty, concern for others, and be goal oriented to the point of not seeking a claim.
“What does this really bring to mind when awarding someone with a Medal of Merit?” the mayor asked. “The recipient must be someone who has recognizable integrity, is honest to a fault, shows a deep and abiding concern for others, is goal oriented, and embodies the concept of teamwork. I would summarize my evaluation of him in this way: Chief Lane’s personal and professional characteristics are embedded in his organization, the truest mark of a good leader.”
