Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Vaitkus has been selected as Louisiana’s 40 and 8 Law Officer of the Year for 2013.

Vaitkus was chosen to receive the Law Officer of the Year Award for the Voiture Locale 137 in Shreveport earlier this month and went on to represent the Shreveport-Bossier area in the state competition. The Grande Voiture de la Louisianne Trophies and Awards Committee met in Lafayette and unanimously selected him as the recipient of the annual state award.

He will receive the state award in Lafayette on July 21. His selection now makes him eligible to be considered for the national Law Officer of the Year award in Indiana.

Vaitkus is a 15-year veteran of the Caddo Sheriff’s Office and is currently assigned to the department’s Traffic Safety Unit where he has worked or assisted in over 100 traffic fatality investigations and two aircraft crashes.

He has served as a field training officer for new deputies and is a nationally certified child safety seat technician though Safe Kids World Wide. He is also a nationally certified crash re-constructionist.

Vaitkus is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police E. J. Huckaby #3 Lodge and the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association