Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part story about the Ray County Sheriff’s Office’s first formal awards program. Part One highlighted the creation of the program and several key recognitions, while Part Two explores broader department honors, internal changes and community partnerships. The Ray County Sheriff’s Office’s first formal awards program recognized a wide range of contributions across the department, honoring deputies, staff and community members for service both in and out of the field. Deputy Ray Orth explained the recognition program was reviewed through an awards committee rather than by a single individual. The committee reviewed nominations and voted on award levels before recommendations were finalized. “That way there’s not any one single person who decides what everyone’s going to get,” said Sheriff Gary Blackwell. “Everyone voted on it and that’s the way I think it should be.” Among those honored were recipients of the Community Service Ribbon,…