The Bulletin Notes.
Law enforcement officers are challenged daily in the performance of their duties; they face each challenge freely and unselfishly while answering the call to duty. In certain instances, their actions warrant special attention from their respective departments. The Bulletin also wants to recognize those situations that transcend the normal rigors of the law enforcement profession.Officers Tim Cline and H.P. Maxeiner of the Bethalto, Illinois, Police Department responded to the residence of a man contemplating suicide. Upon arrival, they confronted the individual, who had doused himself with ether and also disconnected appliance gas lines. He held a self-igniting torch and threatened to blow up the home with the officers inside. Officer Cline remained in the house to distract the man while Officer Maxeiner went outside to disconnect the gas supply and to break windows for ventilation. The victim fled to the basement and ignited himself. Immediately, the officers ran to him and extinguished the flames with a blanket. Both officers later required medical treatment for breathing problems. The man survived the incident.
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Lieutenant Joseph Hecht of the St. Louis, Missouri, Metropolitan Police Department was on patrol when he saw smoke coming from a four-family apartment complex. Immediately, he parked, grabbed the fire extinguisher from the trunk of his vehicle, and ran to the building. Residents in the area indicated that not everyone had made it outside. Lieutenant Hecht forced open the first- and second-floor doors to gain access to the apartments, yelling in an attempt to locate any occupants. A voice called out from the second floor, at which time Lieutenant Hecht quickly ran up the stairs and entered the smoke-filled apartment. Once inside, he located a male resident attempting to phone for help. The man indicated that the thick smoke did not allow him to see or breathe. Lieutenant Hecht helped the individual evacuate the building and brought him to safety.
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Nominations for the Bulletin Notes should be based on either the rescue of one or more citizens or arrest(s) made at unusual risk to an officer's safety. Submissions should include a short write-up (maximum of 250 words), a separate photograph of each nominee, and a letter from the department's ranking officer endorsing the nomination. Submissions should be sent to the Editor, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, FBI Academy, Madison Building, Room 209, Quantico, VA 22135.
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| Publication: | The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin |
|---|---|
| Date: | Jul 1, 2007 |
| Words: | 394 |
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