Colton champ wins Officer of the Year

Devan Hussey, class of 2011, is awarded Officer of the Year by the Optimist Club for his work with the Riverside Police Department

Daphne Marquez, Pepper Bough Staff Writer|August 12, 2022

Courtesy Riverside Police Department

Officer Devan Hussey (left) with his award as Optimist Club Police Officer of the Year. He is joined by firefighter Dominic Luna, who was named Firefighter of the Year.

Riverside, CA—When Colton talks about Devan Hussey, they talk about 2010 and his exceptional play as halfback for the CIF Champion Yellowjackets.

Now, they can talk about him as an exemplary police officer.

On June 15, Hussey was named the 2022 Officer of the Year by the Riverside Optimist Club at their annual “Respect for Law” luncheon.

(12/10/2010, Sports, Moreno Valley) Devan Hussey of Colton, center, celebrates with his teammates after Colton beat Moreno Valley Rancho Verde 17-7 to win the CIF Central Division championship game at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley Friday. (Mark Zaleski/The Press-Enterprise) (The Press-Enterprise)

Hussey was born in 1993 and raised in Grand Terrace. Before becoming an award-winning police officer, he was an average athletic kid.

In high school, he was co-captain for the title winning football team, and also ran track. When he graduated from Colton in 2011, Hussey went to college to pursue a degree in finance. After realizing finance wasn’t for him, his passion went towards a more energetic and high-paced career…police officer!

Hussey graduated top of his class in San Bernardino County as a Deputy Sheriff.

Two years later he became a patrol officer and a part of the Riverside police department’s SWAT team. 

“Honestly I think it’s the most fun job in the world,” Hussey said about his love for his job.

Hussey has now won Officer of the Year two years in a row from two different organizations: the Riverside police department and now the Optimist Club, a local community service organization. 

He was nominated for those awards for being an outstanding citizen, a crossfit coach, and for doing his part in the community. He was also nominated by the high ranking sheriffs and chiefs from the police department.

While the awards are wonderful, they are not what Hussey considers his biggest accomplishment. “I think my biggest accomplishment is being a dad to three little girls —that’s probably the most rewarding thing ever”.

The person Hussey aspired to be like the most was his dad. His dad sacrificed a lot for his family and he was a hard working man. That’s the man Hussey wants to be, too.