UTPD Officer Eric Kestner, left, with Chief Troy Lane

UTPD Officer Eric Kestner received a top police award Friday during his graduation from the police academy.

Kestner received the William D. Nuchols Award for Law Enforcement Excellence, one of the highest honors given in his Blount County Sheriff’s Office Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy graduating class.

The award is given to the recruit who displays overall leadership qualities, as well as overall achievement. It is named in honor of William D. Nuchols, a Blount County Sheriff’s deputy who was killed in the line of duty in 1956 in a car crash while responding to a call.

Kestner was one of the 28 officers from across Tennessee who graduated from academy Friday.