News Release

_{Article reposted by permission from the Old Colony Memorial newspaper.}

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -  A Coast Guard officer from West Plymouth has some impressive new credentials for his resume.

Lt. j.g. Kevin Higgins has been named the 2010 Professional Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Greater Boston Federal Executive Board. The board annually recognizes federal employees within the region.

Higgins, a 2004 graduate of Plymouth North High School, graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2008.

He recently completed his first two-year assignment at sea, serving aboard the cutter Spencer out of Boston.

The Officer of the Year honor recognizes Higgins’ work as watch officer aboard the Spencer. The tour included drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Higgins spent a week serving aboard Arc Independiente, a Colombian naval vessel, as part of an exchange of executive officers.

Higgins also led at-sea boarding teams while the Spencer monitored North Atlantic fisheries.

In recommending Higgins for the award, Commander Jeff Thomas noted that Higgins led 75 boardings in protection of the country’s marine resources. Many were conducted in sub-freezing temperatures and in seas exceeding 6 feet. The work resulted in one termination for illegal fishing in a closed area and one catch seizure for fishing without a valid permit. The boardings also uncovered dozens of significant safety violations.

Thomas noted Higgins work as a role model and mentor aboard Spencer. While serving on the cutter he developed an aggressive law enforcement training program and conducted training sessions that qualified shipmates for boarding-team operations.

“Higgins exemplary performance as a boarding officer is noteworthy given his primary duty aboard Spencer is serving as a deck watch officer. He often conducted multiple boardings in a day, while still standing underway bridge watches,” Thomas wrote.

The Officer of the Year honor was awarded in May in ceremonies in Quincy. Higgins shares the 2010 Law Enforcement honors with Greg Squire, a Boston-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Higgins is currently executive officer at the fisheries school at Otis Air Force Base.