Storm Lake, Iowa — The Storm Lake Police Department is among 15 national recipients of the 2022 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
It’s the highest U.S. government honor recognizing employers that support of National Guard and Reserve employees. Gerardo Bravo, a member of the Iowa National Guard, joined the Storm Lake Police Department in 2016 and he nominated the agency for the award.
Bravo is one of seven Storm Lake police officers who are Iowa National Guard members.
Becky Coady is State Chair of the Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. She says comments from the judges who chose the Storm Lake Police Department for the award cited its flexible scheduling, robust training and support for Guard members before their deployments and after they returned.
More than 2,800 public and private sector employers were nominated for the same award. The Storm Lake Police Department is just the 6th award recipient ever from Iowa and is the state’s first ever winner in the public sector category.
