A pair of Suffolk police investigators were awarded recently for outstanding police work.

Suffolk Police Department Investigators Ryan Linville and Gary Parker received Investigative Merit Awards at the 2017 Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards ceremony on June 8.

The ceremony allows the Hampton Roads business community to recognize public safety heroes for extraordinary acts of courage and resourcefulness in the line of duty.

This year, Linville and Parker were recognized for their casework last year related to the ongoing opioid epidemic in the region.

“Our driving force right now in the unit is fighting the opioid epidemic,” said Suffolk Police Department Vice and Narcotics Lt. Jesse Epperson. “Having investigators that are willing to take these cases and putting in as many hours as needed is humbling as a lieutenant of the section.”

Linville has been with the department for more than 10 years and a special investigator for the last two and half years. He brought his case findings last year to Parker, the Suffolk officer assigned to a Drug Enforcement Agency taskforce including law enforcement agencies throughout Hampton Roads.

Parker said Linville was instrumental in the cases last year and put in the hours it demanded.

“He dedicated a lot of hours here, both during and after work,” Parker said about Linville. “He’s very dedicated.”

Linville was quick to give Parker praise in return, saying he deserved the award for decades of service.

“He’s one of the most respected police officers in Suffolk,” Linville said.

He also made it clear that the casework they were commended for was bigger than the two of them.

“It wasn’t just me and him,” he said. “The Suffolk Police Department, the Norfolk office of the DEA, all of them had to make sacrifices at home to stay late and come in early to make these cases happen.”

Parker is approaching 38 years of policework in Suffolk. His colleagues described him as humble, and his simple view of his work speaks to that character.

“It’s what we’re supposed to do,” he said.