Capitol Security Officer Named Western States Officer Of Year

February 11, 2002

A security officer who helps patrol some 15 buildings in a 20-block area of the Idaho State Capitol Mall complex has been selected top Security Officer of the Year in the Western United States by Allied Security, the state’s contractor for statewide security services.

Lieutenant Billy Fikes was honored at a special award ceremony held today (Feb. 11) in the Joe R. Williams Building and hosted by the Department of Administration where he received a plaque and checks totaling $750 from Allied Security corporate officers.

Presenting the awards were David Alito, Corporate Vice President, Santa Clara, CA., and Susan Urses, District Manager, Salt Lake City. Annually, Allied Security selects a very small number of employees for regional and national recognition, according to Tim Mason, Facilities Services Manager, Division of Public Works.

Lt. Fikes was submitted for this award by his immediate supervisors in Boise and was initially selected as the Regional (Utah and Idaho) Officer of the Year. The Allied regional managers then submitted him nationally and he was selected for the Western United States Security Officer of the Year, Mason explained.

“Mr. Fikes has been a valuable member our security team since the day he first arrived, about a year and half ago. He has been the recipient of numerous letters of commendation from state employees and visitors to the Capitol Mall, including letters written by elected and appointed officials,” he added.

During the ceremony, Fikes was acknowledged for his role in helping save the life of a state employee who had fallen in the Mall’s parking garage, striking his head on the concrete. The accident may have had more tragic consequences, had it not been for the quick response by Fikes who found the employee lying unconscious in a turning point of a lane used by vehicle traffic. He swiftly attended to both the fallen employee and the situation, took appropriate actions and first aid measures, and summoned paramedics.