The first Williams County Prosecutor’s Office Top Cop award for 2019 was presented on the afternoon of March 28 to Tim Livengood, the Chief of the Pioneer Police Department.
“Chief Livengood was chosen for his longtime devotion to the pursuit of law enforcement and the protection of his community, his hard work, and his tireless efforts in serving Williams County and the United States the past 30-plus years,” said Williams County Prosecuting Attorney Katherine Zartman.
Livengood is in his thirteenth year at the helm of the Pioneer Police Department. Prior to Pioneer, he served for nine years with the Montpelier Police Department. As a member of the United States Army, Chief Livengood was stationed in Fort Knox, Germany, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Japan, and was active in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Desert Storm.
Chief Livengood is very active in his community. He is a member of the North Central Local School Board, and the Vice President of the Williams County Veterans Memorial Building. He is a member of Amvets, Disabled American Veterans, the Loyal Order of the Moose, and the American Legion.
After receiving his award, Chief Livengood recognized those that he credited for the honor, beginning with his wife, Dareth, and then, “My officers that work with me, my Mayor and the council members that help us with our law enforcement operations. I’m greatly appreciative for everybody across the board, all the different entities that we work with, whether it’s Victim’s Assistance, the Sheriff’s Office, or…Williams County EMA, our dispatchers; they’re always there for us.”
“First and foremost,” said Pioneer Edward Kidston, “…he’s an outstanding individual, and the leadership capabilities that he’s brought to our department is second to none, as far as I’m concerned. He’s got a great team to work with. But more importantly, enforcing the law and gaining the respect and the confidence of a community is sometimes a difficult job. He does it so well, because he’s very highly respected in the community. But he keeps us a safe village, and I want to thank you on behalf of the residents of Pioneer.”
“I’m extraordinarily proud of Chief Livengood,” added Ms. Zartman. “He has done excellent work for Williams County for as long as I’ve been here, and much longer than that. He started in 1995 in Montpelier, and I’ve never known him to provide us anything less than excellence on every case that he works on. He does so much for his community. He’s really a stellar performer, and an awesome law enforcement officer.”
Chief Livengood later added, “All I can just say is that I’m just deeply humbled and very appreciative for having been selected for this. I credit my staff quite often, and I tell them quite often as well that if it wasn’t for them, I’d be just another chief. I have a great support group, and they’re a direct reflection of the office and what we do. We appreciate the support of the entire county and all law enforcement operations.”