At the Bluffton council meeting of October 11, the Bluffton Police Department honored five officers with service awards ranging from five to thirty years. Officers Troy Hartzog, Officer Charles “Ed” Montgomery, Officer Nathan Jordan, Lt. Matthew Oglesbee, and Corporal Lonny Kent were presented with certificates and plaques commemorating their awards.

Chief Ryan Burkholder noted that Corp. Kent has not only served under four Bluffton police chiefs, he is the longest serving police officer in the history of Bluffton. The text of the awards, signed by Chief Burkholder and Mayor Richard Johnson, follows.

CPL. LONNY KENT, 30 years of service

Lonny Kent began his career at the Bluffton Police Department on November 5th,1991. Officer Kent was promoted to Corporal on January 1st, 2017, and helped with mentoring new officers in the department. Over the years, Cpl. Kent has been instrumental in training officers in Firearms, Tasers, Traffic Stops, Building Searches, and Crime Scene collection. Cpl. Kent has been a Firearms Instructor for 21 years. Cpl. Kent has been the longest serving police officer in the Village of Bluffton’s history. Lonny has brought a great sense of humor to the work environment. Thank you, Cpl. Kent for your honorable and dedicated service to the Village of Bluffton. 

LT. MATTHEW OGLESBEE, 20 years of service

Matt Oglesbee started his career at the Bluffton Police Department on October 3rd, 2001. On November 13th, 2006, Matt was promoted to Sergeant and oversaw investigations and other administrative duties. On January 1st, 2017, he was promoted to Lieutenant and has played an instrumental role in the advancement of the department. Lt. Oglesbee is founder of National Night Out for the Village of Bluffton. Thank you, Lt. Oglesbee for your honorable service to this community.

OFFICER NATHAN JORDAN, 20 years of service

Nathan Jordan began his career at the Bluffton Police Department in October 1996 until 2001. Officer Jordan left the department for a short time only to return in November of 2003. Officer Jordan has been an asset to the Village of Bluffton by covering holidays, weekends, sporting events, and graduations. Officer Jordan’s honorable service and dedication to the community is greatly appreciated. Officer Jordan’s expertise in electronics and other mechanical aspects has been extremely beneficial and cost savings to the village. Thank you, Officer Jordan for your service.

OFFICER CHARLES “ED” MONTGOMERY, 20 years of service

Charles “Ed” Montgomery began his career at the Bluffton Police Department on September 18th, 2001, as a patrolman. Over the years, Officer Montgomery has been a key asset to the Village of Bluffton by covering holidays, weekend shifts, sporting events, and graduations. Officer Montgomery’s honorable and dedicated service to this community is greatly appreciated. Officer Montgomery has brought a great sense of humor to the department as well. Thank you, Officer Montgomery for your service.

OFFICER TROY HARTZOG, 5 years of service

Troy Hartzog began his career at the Bluffton Police Department in May of 2016. Officer Hartzog has been an asset for the Village of Bluffton by covering weekend shifts, holidays, special events, and sporting events. Officer Hartzog’s willingness to help cover these events shows strong leadership amongst the officers. Thank you, Officer Hartzog for your service to our community.