Battle Ground Police recognize life-saving actions and officer of the year; unveil upgraded 'Manny 2' ghost car

Battle Ground — At its June 2 meeting the Battle Ground Police Department and city leaders recognized off-duty actions and investigative work by department members and showcased an upgraded traffic-deterrent vehicle nicknamed “Manny 2.”

Chief Dennis Flynn described the life-saving actions of Lieutenant Jason Perdue, awarding him a life-saving medal for intervening at a Blaine restaurant in August 2024 when an elderly woman was choking. Flynn said Perdue “immediately sprang into action” and that his intervention “successfully cleared the woman's airway.” The chief said Perdue coordinated with emergency services until paramedics arrived.

The department also named Detective Ethan Pokey its 2024 officer of the year. Flynn recounted Pokey’s work mentoring new detectives and leading complex investigations in 2024, including a human-trafficking and prostitution investigation that led to a search warrant and closure of a local business and a commercial burglary investigation that resulted in arrest and recovery of more than $100,000 in stolen property, according to Flynn’s remarks.

Chief Flynn also presented an update on Manny 2, a retooled, decommissioned patrol vehicle repurposed as a visible traffic deterrent. Fleet supervisor Mike Wilcox removed a radar unit from a salvaged speed trailer and engineered an articulating mount and an integration with the patrol car’s overhead lights and power supply. The system is single-direction radar (able to detect speed in one direction), triggers emergency lights for two seconds when a vehicle exceeds a programmed threshold and logs activations with a resettable counter.

The chief read a written commendation for Wilcox that said Manny 2 was first deployed April 25, 2025, and recorded 686 speed-related activations during a 48-hour deployment. The chief said the public response was “overwhelmingly positive” on social media and that staff often follow Manny 2 placements with an on-site officer to enforce speed limits.

Why it matters: the awards publicly recognize a life-saving off-duty intervention and investigative work that the department says improved public safety; Manny 2 represents a low-cost, in-house engineering retrofit intended to deter speeding and collect activation counts for deployment assessment.

What was said - Chief Dennis Flynn described Perdue’s actions as saving a life and praised Detective Pokey’s mentorship and investigative results. - The written commendation for Mike Wilcox credits him with sourcing the radar unit, integrating the trigger and lights, and building a resettable counter; chief noted Manny 2 recorded 686 activations on its first 48-hour deployment.

Next steps: The department will continue deploying Manny 2 and use activation data to guide enforcement; awards are ceremonial recognitions presented at the council meeting.