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Detective Esmeralda Mendoza named Top Cop; sheriff's office recognizes officers after highway shootout
Summary
The Cochise County top‑cop ceremony named Detective Esmeralda Mendoza of the Bisbee Police Department this year; the sheriff's office also highlighted a separate medal of valor given to officers involved in a highway shootout with a suspect later identified as Jacob Netherby.
Detective Esmeralda Mendoza of the Bisbee Police Department was named this year's Top Cop by the Legacy Foundation, Sheriff Mark J. Daniels said on KWCD's First Watch. Daniels thanked participating agencies and organizers for running the annual recognition.
"We've never won it," Daniels said of his office; he described strong competition from multiple departments. He credited the Legacy Foundation for an outside review of nominations and for selecting the winner.
Daniels also described a separate medal of valor ceremony that recognized four officers involved in a violent incident that began when Deputy Sean Maddox spotted a vehicle in the Bisbee area. Daniels said the vehicle pursuit turned into a "pretty wild shootout going down the highway" and continued in a cul‑de‑sac. He named Officer Chavez (service to police department), Detective Valenzuela (Bisbee Police Department) and U.S. Border Patrol Agent Gamlin as involved alongside Deputy Maddox.
The sheriff said the suspect, identified on the radio as Jacob Netherby, survived and has been indicted in Pima County on an unrelated murder charge. Daniels called the medal of valor "like the utmost, award any law enforcement can get and most of them don't ask for it."
Why it matters: The Top Cop recognition and medal of valor honors interagency cooperation and individual acts during a critical public‑safety incident; the sheriff's account underscores the role of local, state and federal partners in high‑risk responses.
Supporting details: Daniels said about a dozen agencies submitted nominees this year. The Top Cop selection and the medal of valor ceremony were separate events; the sheriff thanked local hosts for hosting the events.
