Seventy Illinois employers, including the Pontiac Police Department, have been nominated for awards for the support they give workers serving in the Guard and Reserve. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers. Nominees also include State Farm, Country Financial, Great and Clips in Normal. Pontiac Police Chief Dale Newsome says the department has two officers who have been deployed overseas, one in the Army Reserves and one in the Illinois National Guard. Only members of the Guard and Reserve or their family members can make nominations. Senior Defense Department officials and business leaders select the award recipients.