Covington County Pardons and Parole Officer Jamey Wismer was named officer of the year for the state Wednesday.

Wismer said he was nominated by his district manager for the award and was one of two officers who received this year’s award.

“The nominations go up from all the districts and all officers are eligible,” he said.

Wismer said he wasn’t expecting the award.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said. “There was another officer who also received the award who saved someone’s life in the courtroom.”

But, Wismer has his own story of heroic merit.

“I’m a hostage negotiator,” he said. “A man in Conecuh County had taken some shots at his wife, and officers had chased him into Covington County. They needed help securing his vehicle under a bridge on Brooklyn Road. While we were there trying to secure the vehicle, he called out to us and said he was watching us through the scope of his rifle.”

Wismer said the suspect told officers they better “get away from his vehicle.”

Wismer said he decided to take the role as negotiator with the suspect.

“I negotiated with him for 45 minutes to an hour on a cell phone trying to get him to give himself up,” he said. “He finally did. We found 30 rounds of ammunition and a rifle in the woods. We wound up shutting down Brooklyn Road for two hours. He’s been charged in Conecuh County and no one got hurt.”

Wismer said the board of pardons and paroles allows him to work with the Covington County Incident Response Team.

“It’s something I like doing,” he said. “If I can get someone to release someone or turn themselves in and nobody gets hurt, that’s important. Deputies don’t have to risk their lives. Sometimes it’s someone just holding themselves hostage. When I’m negotiating with them, we talk about anything and everything.”

Wismer said he’s been a law enforcement officer for 22 years.

“I’m done a lot of different things, but I like having a good result,” he said.

Wismer has worked for pardons and paroles for 10 years. He previously worked at the district attorney’s office under then-DA Eugenia Loggins, worked as an agent on the Drug Task Force at its inception in 2000, and previously worked as a police officer for the city of Troy and Troy University.