He's the kind of cop who's been there and treats everyone with respect, even those he arrests

Henry Diaz in his squad car.

Editor's Note: After an absence from journalism of about five years working on clean energy for a nonprofit and then on getting clean trucks for California's roadways for an air district, I went back to writing at a weekly newspaper. This is one of my favorite stories so far. It appeared in the Sanger Herald April 30, 2015.

Henry Diaz is a throwback, the kind of cop who knows just about everybody on his beat.

He's a police officer who understands his town of Sanger, Calif., population about 25,000, because he's part of it. He is Sanger, which is generally poor and 80 percent nonwhite. He was raised in the notorious Chankla neighborhood, the son of a hard-working single immigrant mom who wanted the best for her children. He went to Jefferson Elementary. He graduated from Sanger High in 1994.

"He's the same guy, the same person I met years ago," said his wife, Maricela Diaz. "He's very humble. He likes people, and he's very friendly."

She said she was pleasantly surprised when she learned her husband of 17 years was named Officer of the Year by the Sanger Police Department in early April. Yet, she was a little concerned that the online posting of the news would generate snide comments, since police officers these days aren't often getting the greatest press.

She shouldn't have worried.

The initial Sanger Herald Facebook post about Henry Diaz receiving the honor in early April garnered 226 likes, 15 shares and a then-record more than 4,400 views. The brief post and photo about Diaz getting named Officer of the Year generated scads of comments like this one from Bobby and Denise Perez: "Congratulations Henry. You (are) a great role model for our Kids! Sanger is lucky to (have an) Officer like You."

And this from Jason Boust: "Very well deserved."

And this from Jessica Guerra: "Congratulations to my compadre Henry! Sanger is blessed to have an officer like Henry."

Diaz is the kind of officer who stands in stark contrast to the negative publicity given to police officers nationwide by the plethora of cell phone videos chronicling abuses against suspects. He's the counter argument — the guy people know and trust.