Sgt. Scott Foster Named Officer of the Year
Sergeant Scott Foster has been selected by fellow officers as Hillsborough Police Department’s officer of the year.
“Sgt. Foster has done amazing work over the past year,” Police Chief Duane Hampton said. “He is extremely creative and has come up with unique ways to engage with community members and build relationships. He has earned the respect of his peers and members of the community alike.”
Foster joined the Hillsborough Police Department in 2000. For most of his career with the town, he has been a K-9 handler, first working with K-9 Officer Talon and now with K-9 Officer Vader. Foster supervises the training in the K-9 program and veterinary care for the dogs. The K-9 unit is called to help find missing people, suspects, weapons and illegal drugs. He often leads demonstrations for schools and community groups, which brings him back to how he became a police officer to begin with.
“I remember when I was at school, a K-9 handler came to do a demonstration and that’s what made me want to be a police officer,” Foster said. “As soon as I was eligible, I applied for K-9.”
In 2022, Foster took on leadership of the police department’s community services programs, in which he was already very actively involved. In the last five years, he started several new programs including Straw for Dogs, the Doggie Easter Egg Hunt, and Craft with a Cop.
Straw for Dogs is an annual event during which police officers visit residential properties with outdoor dogs and offer to help the dogs be more comfortable by providing clean straw to help keep them warm. The straw is purchased with donations from the community.
“It’s just another way to offer assistance to community members in a non-traditional way,” Foster said.
The Doggie Easter Egg hunt typically occurs in Gold Park each spring and is an opportunity for friendly dogs to come out with their owners to find plastic eggs filled with dog treats.
Craft with a Cop is offered occasionally at the Passmore Center in Hillsborough and gives seniors an opportunity to make a seasonal craft with police officers. Foster, who enjoys crafting, tries out crafts at home to find ones that will fit the budget and can be completed in 90 minutes with a group of adults.
“I think it gives me the opportunity to show police officers in a very positive light,” Foster said. “A lot of the connections that we’re able to build and contacts we’re able to build then help us to be a direct go-to when people are having a problem in their community.”
