Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office Annual Awards Honors Deputies, Corrections Staff

Dustin Stickler was named Law Enforcement Division Employee of the Year at the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office annual awards ceremony at the Governmental Center in Traverse City, an event that honored deputies and corrections staff for work across 2024 and into early 2026 and highlighted lifesaving responses and notable investigations. The ceremony took place Thursday, March 5, 2026, and drew county officials and sheriff’s office personnel to publicly recognize individual and team actions.

Two sergeants were also singled out as division Employees of the Year, 9&10 News reported. Corrections Sergeant Joseph Seaburg said of the recognition, “It’s awesome to get recognized by your administration. It’s something that drives morale, keeps everybody up, and it’s just a good feeling to be recognized.” Sergeant Ben McManus of road patrol told 9&10, “It’s a tough job, but we’ve got a lot of great men and women that do it. And I work with a lot of great colleagues, so it’s nice to have good, solid people that are willing to help the community.”

Sheriff Michael Shea presented awards and framed the ceremony as a public acknowledgement of work under pressure. Shea told WPBN/WGTU, “You have my word. If you call, they'll come,” and added, “They don't ask questions. They show up.” In 9&10’s coverage Shea said, “It’s nice to be able to recognize them publicly and to let people know, you know what? It’s a tough job and they’re doing an amazing job,” and he encouraged people to thank law enforcement and first responders for their service.

Media accounts and the sheriff’s office materials show the awards program spans multiple categories. Sources cited lifesaving awards, awards of merit, detective recognitions, MADD awards, a Safe Driving Award, and a “Top Shots” gallery; WPBN referenced 2025 Top Shots naming Deputy Roger Grotefendt and Sgt. Jimmie Wood as recipients of that recognition. Record‑Eagle’s reporting was used to provide background on prior years, while WPBN and 9&10 supplied quotes and ceremony coverage for March 5.

Record‑Eagle’s historical list of 2023 winners provides context on the sheriff’s office award program and the types of incidents that have been recognized. Record‑Eagle noted lifesaving awards dated April 15, July 18 and Oct. 2, 2023, and named the officers involved in those responses, and the paper reported, “All three lifesaving awards for 2023 in Grand Traverse County involved first responders who saved people from suicide.” The Record‑Eagle list also shows MADD awards tied to high OWI arrest counts, including Deputy Hayden Talbot with 30 OWI arrests and Deputy Mitchell Hoffman with 29 OWI arrests in that year.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office mission statement emphasizes community protection and integrity: “The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office is faithfully committed to protecting our citizens’ rights while serving with fairness, integrity, and empathy, ensuring a safe and just community for all.” The sheriff’s office can be reached at the primary number 231‑995‑5000; non‑emergencies are routed to 231‑922‑4550 and emergencies to 911.

Coverage of the March 5 ceremony in the items reviewed did not include a complete, consolidated winners list or detailed incident summaries for the lifesaving awards presented for 2024 and early 2026. A sheriff’s office press release or the event program would provide a definitive roster of recipients and incident details for the lifesaving recognitions that were highlighted at the Governmental Center.