Master Police Officer/Detective Jennifer “Missy” Elliott, has been named the 2015 City of Falls Church Employee of the Year. The Employee Review Board selected Elliot for her work in raising awareness about the cumulative effects of trauma on police officers nationwide and locally, according to a City of F.C. press release.

Elliot has worked for the City of Falls Church for 20 years, five years spent in the Uniform Patrol Division and in the remainder in the Criminal Investigations Division. Through her work to raise awareness about trauma on police officers, she has spoken at the International Chiefs of Police, the FBI, the Virginia Local Government Manager’s Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and more. She has also created several programs in the City – she has brought police psychologists into the Police Department, created a Dog Therapy Program for officers, created a “Healthy Mind Check-In” program, and brought in yoga instructors to help officers cope with stress and trauma from the job.

A public reception in Elliot’s honor is scheduled for Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Ave.). The award will be presented to Elliot that evening at the City Council meeting in City Hall (300 Park Ave.) at 7:30 p.m.