Congratulations to Champaign Police Officer, Ed Wachala, for being selected as the “2013 Officer of the Year.” Officer Wachala was selected by a committee of his peers for exemplifying the values of Service with Pride.
Officer Wachala is assigned as the School Resource Officer for Centennial High School; however, he does much more for the Champaign Community and the Police Department. Officer Wachala has coordinated the “Shop with a Cop” program since its inception, including obtaining funding from community, soliciting officers to volunteer at the event and finding families that need assistance during the holiday season. He also obtains donated toys from Hobbico and other resources to provide to Officers to give to kids while on patrol during the holiday season.
He also obtains donated toys from Hobbico and other resources to provide to Officers to give to kids while on patrol during the When Centennial is not in session, Ed volunteers to work patrol shifts. He worked several shifts during the holidays in 2013 so that other Officers were able to take time off to spend with their young children and families. He also worked patrol shifts when school was canceled because of inclement weather to help his fellow officers with the increased workload the weather caused.
In the fall of 2013, Officer Wachala was working a Centennial basketball game when the visiting team’s bus broke down as they were preparing to leave. Ed purchased pizzas to feed the entire team while they waited to get on the road. Officer Wachala also hosted a BBQ dinner at his residence to show his appreciation to Centennial High School hall monitors.
Ed Wachala is a dedicated, conscientious, hard working Police Officer. He interacts well with members of the community, the department and the school district to solve problems. He is compassionate about the Champaign community and does everything within his ability to do the best job he can on everything he does.