An officer with nearly 21 years of experience was recently award the Federal Way Police Department’s 2020 Officer of the Year.

Corporal Grant Bassett has been with the Federal Way Police Department since Nov. 2006, relocating to Washington after previously serving as a police officer in Texas for five years.

Bassett, the Mirror’s Hometown Hero for the month of May, is a highly trained officer who has worked in various speciality units, including Criminal Investigation Section (CIS) and the department’s traffic unit, according to the department.

“I was delighted to receive the award,” said Bassett, who was honored on May 25. “I have been a police officer for approximately 21 years and as I near the end of my career, this will be something positive to look back on.”

The annual awards ceremony gives the department the opportunity to acknowledge just some of the outstanding work done by staff on a daily basis, said Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang.

“I am very proud of all the men and women of the Federal Way Police Department and their continued commitment to serving the Federal Way Community,” Hwang said.

The police chief said Bassett “is a valued member of our FWPD family and deserving of this recognition.”

In July 2020, Bassett was assigned to a criminal investigation as a burglary detective and served as a traffic officer prior to returning to the patrol division.

As a traffic officer, he investigated complex collisions and traffic-related crimes. Due to his extensive experience and training, he became the primary patrol officer on a serious vehicle collision occurring last year at the intersection of S. 344th Street and Pacific Highway South.

A reckless driver ran a series of red lights from S. 316th Street all the way to S. 348th Street, along southbound Pacific Highway South, Bassett said.

Upon making a U-turn at S. 348th Street, the reckless driver traveled north on Pacific Highway South. After running another red traffic light, the driver T-boned a woman in her vehicle in an intersection after running yet another red light, he said. This collision resulted in serious injuries.

Bassett handled the entire investigation on his own, even working on his days off to complete the investigation, the department said.

Because of Bassett’s dedicated work, the driver was arrested and charged with felony vehicular assault.

In another investigation last year, Bassett responded to an assault incident involving a forearm. The suspect was located and a traffic stop was conducted, where Bassett authored a search warrant to find the firearm.

The suspect was booked on several felony charges after Bassett located the gun, along with a large amount of heroin and methamphetamine, according to the department.