Detective Jill Thissell has been awarded Officer of the Year by the Independence Police Department!
Detective Jill Thissell began her career with the Independence Police Department in 2005 as a Records Technician. Since then, she has been a Reserve Police Officer, Patrol Officer, Detective/School Resource Officer, and now our lead Detective since 2021.
When selecting our Officer of the Year, we look for someone who consistently advances our mission and embodies our core values: Integrity, Excellence, Courage, and Compassion. Detective Thissell exemplifies all of these qualities. In 2024 alone, her work played a key role in investigations that led to more than 60 years of prison sentences for individuals convicted of crimes against children.
“Detective Thissell approaches all of her work—especially cases involving child victims—with exceptional excellence and compassion,” said Chief Juventino Banuelos. “Because of her, children in our community are safer. I’m incredibly proud to call her one of our own and our Officer of the Year.”
This is Detective Thissell’s second Officer of the Year Award with her first being in 2019.
