Sterling Police Department honors 2 top employees

STERLING – The Sterling Police Department honored two of its own Monday with its Cadet T. Thorp Officer of the Year and Non-Sworn Employee of the Year awards.

Officer Travis Ganther was awarded SPD’s Cadet T. Thorp Officer of the Year award. Sterling Deputy Police Chief Pat Bartel presented the award to Ganther, a Rock Falls-Sterling native who has served with the SPD for the last six years.

“Being a cop is something I wanted to do my entire life,” Ganther said. “This is such a great honor. I work hard to serve the community and do the best job that I can. It’s awesome that they’re recognizing those efforts.”

Bartel said the award recognizes officers who, “through their community, enforcement and educational efforts, most reflected what Chief Thorp stood for.”

Thorp served as Sterling’s police chief for 22 years and was also a member of the Whiteside County Board. In 1987, he helped establish and organize Whiteside County’s DARE program and was instrumental in founding CrimeStoppers.

“Travis has been with us since May of 2019 and you’ll not find a more active or educated officer in the department,” Bartel said. “If you look at enforcement and traffic activity for the past several years, you’ll find him at the top of most categories. If you look at contacts and involvement with citizens, you’ll also find him at the top. He comes to work every day to try and make Sterling a better place, and to give the city his full efforts. He is someone who exhibits daily what Chief Thorp would have been proud to see in a Sterling officer.”

SPD also honored Executive Administrative Assistant Sara Young with the Non-Sworn Employee of the Year award. Young has been with the department since 2001.

“When people think about the police, they see the officers in uniform, the squad cars, arrests and everything that comes with that,” Bartel said. “The truth is that Sarah and all the others in records, evidence and the non-sworn positions are the ones that make the department run and do all the things that nobody sees. Sarah is the mothership of the PD. She goes above and beyond her job description and keeps us all in line. She tells us where we’re supposed to be and makes sure we’re all taken care of.”

Both recipients received multiple nominations from their peers, who voted on the awards.

Mayor Diana Merdian also announced a proclamation recognizing Jan. 20 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Merdian presented the proclamation to Tina Wren of the Sauk Valley Diversity Alliance.

The City Council also approved a motion to award a bid for $644,936 to Martin & Company Excavating of Oregon for six blocks of reconstruction work expected to begin later this year. The following streets were included in the bid:

• Fifth Street – Woodburn Avenue to Avenue L
• Fifth Avenue – 400 block
• 17th Avenue – 300 block
• 19th Avenue – 500 block

The city opened bids for the project Jan. 15, 2025. The bids ranged from $644,936 to $958,145, with two bids falling below the engineer’s estimate and three above.

• Martin and Company of Oregon: $644,936
• Twin City Construction of Sterling: $691,777
• Helm Civil Materials of Freeport: $773,113
• Fischer Excavating of Freeport: $769,637
• Porter Brothers of Rock Falls: $958,145