For over 60 years, the Northeast Exchange Club of St. Petersburg has presented the annual Pearson Patterson Police Officer of the Year Award. Community members, elected officials and organization leaders came together May 19 to honor Detective Justin Woolverton.
“To be recognized for my dedication to public service means the world to me,” Woolverton said at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club event. “I stand here today truly humbled and honestly still in shock to be presented with this award.”
Woolverton joined the St. Petersburg Police Department in 2017. Currently, he serves in the Criminal Intelligence and Threat Assessment Unit. Woolverton is also a member of the Pinellas County Threat Management Unit Task Force, which was recognized as the Unit of the Year by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in 2025.
He has had an active role in many investigations, including a school shooting threat in August 2025. Woolverton submitted multiple emergency subpoena requests and was able to identify the offender. The honoree also is a high liability instructor and helps train new officers.
At a young age, Woolverton realized that he wanted to serve in the police department.
“The road to get here was not easy for me,” he explained. “I faced obstacles, doubts from others and setbacks along the way and there were times I questioned whether this path was truly meant for me.”
Woolverton added that the award is not “a finish line,” but an encouragement to continue to represent the police department and the profession. It’s “a reminder that our work is never done.”
Former Florida governors Charlie Crist and Robert “Bob” Martinez attended and spoke at the May 19 gathering.
Crist, who served as governor from 2007 to 2011, shared a story about when he participated in the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete program over 20 years ago. The initiative encourages business professionals to make a positive impact in the community.
One evening, Crist was able to attend a St. Petersburg Police Department ride along after a suspected break in was reported at a downtown business. Fearlessly, the officer walked into the building armed.
This gave Crist a first-hand police experience. He called the officer’s work a “great act of courage.” Crist added that it’s important to appreciate what “people in blue do to keep you and me safe, and our kids and communities.”
Martinez, governor from 1987 to 1991 and Mayor of Tampa from 1979 to 1986, emphasized that public safety is critical. He argued that governments should consider “protection” services first during the budget process.
“This is what public service is all about,” Martinez said. “That’s why the government got formed. All the other stuff followed.”
He commended Florida’s leadership for prioritizing first responders and argued that there are “many areas in the country” where police officers and firefighters are receiving “less support than they deserve to have.”
The award’s name reflects the legacy of two families.
George Pearson, who served as the president of the Exchange Club in the 1960s, initially thought of the idea to honor an officer every year. St. Petersburg resident Odette Patterson created the Charles A. Patterson & Odette W. Patterson Charitable Trust in 1990. The effort provides St. Petersburg officers and firefighters with an opportunity to pursue higher education.
Pearson’s grandson Albert Jasuwan and his wife Torrie currently serve on the board of the Police Officer of the Year committee.
This content provided in partnership with stpetecatalyst.com.