January 31, 2019

WALTON COUNTY, Fla—Walton County Sheriff’s Office employee Lee Berry has been awarded the Department of Children and Families Child Protective Investigator Rookie of the Year for the Northwest Region.

Berry was nominated by Supervisor Barry Lee for “his willingness to help out his peers, mentor new trainees, and for doing excellent field investigative work.”

Berry has been a Child Protective Investigator for approximately one year after Walton County Sheriff’s Office integrated Child Protective Services under agency leadership.

Lee said of Berry further, “He has a strategy –ideation— where he intends to get to the root of client/customer issues. We have found he has been very creative around safety planning as well as the utilization of community resources to help keep families stay together.”

In addition, Berry was recently praised for going above and beyond in helping a victim of domestic violence get free and clear of her abuser. For this, he has been recognized by Children Legal Services for his diligence and efforts for this type of investigative work.

Lee ended his nomination by saying, “CPI Berry is always for the betterment of this unit and the families of Walton County.”

Berry received his certificate from DCF today for his achievement.