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Law enforcement officers honored for outstanding service in the line of duty

Posted at 5:36 PM, Nov 21, 2014
and last updated 2014-11-21 19:31:05-05

Dozens of law enforcement officers received awards Friday for their service in the line of duty.

The Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association honored officers and deputies across the metro for going above and beyond.

Two officers who received a Bronze Award for Valor played pivotal roles in solving two big cases this year.

Officer Michael Feagans was involved in the highway shooting investigation that spanned over the course of March and April.

Someone was firing at vehicles in South Kansas City near the Three Trails Crossing. About a dozen vehicles were hit.

Feagans was with the digital technology section of the investigation. Using dash cam videos, Feagans tried to find the suspect’s car.

“I was given info about a possible license plate and other investigators were unable to find that plate within the system,” he said.

Feagans said he thought the letter “G” could look like a number “6” on a license plate.

“I guess I just started thinking outside the box, and I kind of changed some things around, and it ended up popping up with a different character,” Feagans said.

Officers found the car and eventually took Mohammed Whitaker into custody. He’s now in jail awaiting trial.

“I'm a small part of that whole investigation and I'm just glad that what I was able to find was able to break that,” Feagans said.

Feagans has served with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department for 20 years.

Another officer who received the same award is Officer Charles Wimsatt, a 6-year veteran with the Overland Park Police Department.

Wimsatt was one of many officers who responded to the shootings at the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom on April 13, 2014.

“I was involved with several other officers looking for the suspect,” said Wimsatt. “We found a similar vehicle nearby and took that subject into custody within 18 minutes of the original call coming out.”

Wimsatt was the first officer to notice the gunman in his vehicle so he called for backup.

“It was a very scary two minutes of my life, I will admit that,” he said. “Until my other officers got there, I felt very alone. I knew they were coming so I felt that relief, but it was a very scary couple of minutes.”

Johnson County prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against Frazier Glenn Cross, also known as Glenn Miller.

Both Wimsatt and Feagans said they are honored to be honored for their efforts, but said there are many other officers who do their jobs every day without recognition. Feagans said he accepted his award for all involved in the highway shootings investigation.