Chad Janis Named YPD Officer of the Year

The Yakima Police Department has announced that Detective Chad Janis (jah-neece) is the 2014 Officer of the Year. Detective Janis is assigned to the Special Assault Unit, which investigates sexual assaults, domestic violence and crimes against children. In addition to his investigative assignment, Detective Janis has served on the SWAT team since 2007. He is involved in several community groups that work closely with victims of sexual abuse.

During the course of an investigation in December of 2014, Detective Janis became aware of a group of women and their children living in a group home that had nothing for Christmas. He organized his co-workers to purchase food and gifts for the families. The outpouring of his co-workers was so great, it took several cars to deliver the food and holiday gifts.
Detective Janis is the first recipient of the Officer of the Year award. This is a change in how officers have been recognized in the past, where officers from each squad were selected by their peers.
Last night Detective Janis was honored by the International Footprint Association Yakima Chapter at the Elks Club in Selah.  The Yakima Police Department will be holding an awards ceremony Wednesday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Yakima Convention Center to honor Detective Janis and other officers.
YPD Officer of the Year News Release