SELMA – After being on the department only two years, Patrol Sergeant Ernest Burgess has made a big impact. Burgess joined the Selma Police Department in 2022. Recently, Burgess was named the 2023 Selma Police Officer of the Year.
Burgess is a Louisburg, NC native and a 2017 graduate of Louisburg High. After high school, he spent two years in the Army National Guard then enrolled in Basic Law Enforcement Training at Nash Community College. He was hired by the Rocky Mount Police Department, where he worked for two years, before joining the Selma Police Department.
“Officer Burgess is a pleasure to have on the Selma Police Department,” Chief of Police J.A. Hughes said. “He is willing to go the extra mile and take on whatever assignment he is given. We are lucky to have him and very proud of him.”
The Officer of the Year is selected by a vote of fellow police department employees and a review of the officer’s overall performance.
“I am very grateful. I’m humbled,” Burgess said about being selected as Officer of the Year. “I’m glad to be able to serve the Selma community and see the community grow.”
Burgess is the police department’s FAA certified drone operator and in his spare time is working to obtain his private pilot’s license.
And earlier today (Friday), Burgess was promoted from corporal to the rank of patrol sergeant.
😭he’s a big fella mate 💀
I like how the fellow officers vote. It’s what your team thinks of you.