by Kris Hauser
Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. Some might welcome the attention that comes with the title “hero,” while others are quiet heroes. Whatever their preference, they should all receive recognition. Whether their acts were large or small is less important than the fact that they went out of their way to help others. In this article, we feature law-enforcement heroes from different states. We used, as our starting point, Police1.com, which does an excellent job at compiling stories from around the country with links to the original stories.
We stand behind our law-enforcement officers and thank them for their selfless service. Check out the following stories about going that extra step.
Maine: Birthdays are an exciting time for a child — anticipation, being with family and friends, presents, cake, etc. Myles, a four-year-old boy, had an extra-special birthday thanks to the Scarborough, Maine, Police Department.
Myles stopped by the department with high hopes of having them attend his upcoming birthday party. “Myles’ mother told us how excited he was to have special guests come to his party, so of course, we couldn’t let him down,” the department posted on Facebook.
They certainly didn’t want to disappoint the excited little fella, so multiple police officers and firefighters, as well as a police dog, K-9 Tucker, attended Myles’ birthday party.
“Myles and his friends were very excited to see the police cars, fire trucks, ambulance and obviously K-9 Tucker!” the department posted. “Sergeant Flynn presented Myles with the birthday gifts (Paw Patrol, of course) and Officer Greenleaf brought some Scarborough PD SWAG for Myles and his friends.”
Myles and his friends will never forget this. What a special memory!
Maryland: Two Maryland State Police troopers took action to help three children who lost their parents.
The Maryland State Police reported in a Facebook post that the two troopers, Matthew Hughes and Samuel Rogers, “raised nearly $5,000 in two weeks in order to purchase presents and gift cards for the children, ages 17, 13 and 6.” The children’s parents had died just a few weeks earlier in “a multi-vehicle crash” in which their car was struck by another vehicle “traveling … at a high rate of speed.”
Shortly after this tragedy, Hughes and Rogers “began a project of their own initiative to try to assist the children with their first Christmas without parents,” the post noted. “The two began with the fundraiser, which allowed them to exhaust the children’s Christmas lists.” Working with the Ohio State Patrol, they delivered gifts to the children just in time for the holidays.
This grand gesture helped the children take their minds off — even if temporarily — the recent tragedy in their lives.
Michigan: Sergeant Anthony Roeske, a police officer in Sterling Heights, Michigan, saved the life of an infant who had choked and wasn’t breathing.
Officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported that a 15-month-old child wasn’t breathing.
When Sergeant Roeske arrived at the home, family members were in the garage with the infant girl, who was unresponsive. The baby’s parents were panicking. Sergeant Roeske took the baby in his arms and performed back thrusts on her, hoping this would clear her airway. The baby coughed up an object that had been obstructing her airway and began crying.
What a wonderful sound that must have been!
The safety of our children is something we all need. Thank you, Sergeant Roeske, for your heroic actions in saving the life of this baby.
Missouri: An officer from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department was called a “Christmas hero” after going out of his way to help another person. Officer Jerry Richardson took the time to help a man who had to dispose of his pocketknife before entering a concert stadium. The pocketknife had sentimental value, since it was given to him by his father, who died from cancer 22 years earlier. When Officer Richardson heard what happened, he took it upon himself to look through the trash and find the knife that meant so much to the man. Once he found it, he took time to clean it off, then found the man and returned the pocketknife.
Heroism takes many forms, but compassion is the main ingredient for all heroic acts. You are a hero, Officer Richardson.
New Jersey: New Jersey State Police Sussex Station troopers saved the life of a man who had been missing for more than 24 hours. He had been driving his ultra-terrain vehicle (UTV) in Stokes State Forest when it became immobile.
In an Instagram post, the New Jersey State Police wrote, “Troopers responded to a missing person call a few days before Christmas. A man left his residence in [a UTV] and was not heard from in 24 hours. Troopers conducted a search of the area and eventually located UTV tracks that led them deep into the woods of Stokes State Forest.”
The troopers located the UTV, but the man was missing. They spotted footprints in the snow and used them to find him. They soon found the man lying on his back, separated from his walking stick and right boot, having trouble breathing, and suffering from hypothermia.
The troopers sprang into action to help the man. They removed some of their gear to place on and under the man, since they needed to raise his body temperature fast. More troopers soon arrived, “and they took turns laying on top of the man in an attempt to transfer body heat while also administering sternum rubs,” according to the post.
The Sandyston Township Fire Department soon arrived to carry the man out of the woods. He was then airlifted to a hospital.
Thanks to their quick thinking and rescue tactics, these troopers saved the man’s life. How can you thank someone enough for that?
North Carolina: A police officer and a bystander in Salisbury, North Carolina, saved a man’s life by moving him away from a burning truck.
The semi-truck’s engine and parts of the seat caught fire after it ran into a highway barrier. Lieutenant Corey Brooks, who was responding to another call, saw the incident and stopped to help, going into the semi-truck and pulling the unconscious man out of the driver’s seat.
Once Lieutenant Brooks had the man on the ground, an onlooker came and helped get the driver across the street to safety. A loud explosion occurred as firetrucks arrived.
Thankfully, Lieutenant Brooks was in the right place at the right time. Amazing!
Oklahoma: A police captain in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, stopped a driver in a high-speed pursuit from approaching a festival where children were present, saving many lives.
The City of Sallisaw posted on Facebook that “local law enforcement was involved in a vehicle pursuit that entered the city limits of Sallisaw at a high rate of speed. As the pursuit continued, it neared the DiamondDaze [sic] event that was being held downtown. The vehicle eventually turned and was headed toward an area where several children were playing.”
Captain John Weber acted quickly to stop the fleeing car. In a separate Facebook post, Sallisaw Police Chief Terry Franklin noted, “Captain Weber and Officer [Wesley] McGuirt were the last line of defense before the suspect’s vehicle would have entered the Diamond Daze event area.” He added that if the vehicle drove into the event, it “would have caused massive casualties.”
The City of Sallisaw wrote, “To prevent the vehicle from getting closer to the children, [Captain Weber] put himself at risk by hitting the vehicle head one [sic], stopping the pursuit.”
Franklin reported that “Captain Weber sustained a broken wrist” and “Officer McGuirt sustained cuts and bruises.” The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported that the suspect, Carlton Rucker of Plantation, Florida, and his two passengers were unharmed.
A bystander posted a “thank you” note to Captain Weber on social media. He wrote that he “was just a few feet away” from where the pursuit ended, and that Captain Weber saved people’s lives through his actions.
Captain Weber committed a selfless and heroic act. In doing so, he prevented an enormous tragedy, even at the cost of his own safety. Officer McGuirt is also a hero. Remarkable!
Texas: As a tornado roared through Deer Park, Texas, a police officer bravely rescued his K-9 partner, risking his life in the process.
Officer Joel Nitchman and narcotics K-9 Roni had been paired together since 2018. They had just returned to the police station after training when the tornado hit. “The thought of debris or the car flipping over — I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t leave him out there during that,” Officer Nitchman recalled to KHOU. He ran outside during a severe downpour with strong winds, lightning, and flying debris to get K-9 Roni.
Officer Nitchman recalled, “I knew it was something bad when there was things hitting my face…. I knew it was debris of some kind. Once I went around the car, that’s when all heck broke loose.” He continued, “I could barely open his door. When I did — he’s a smart dog — he saw what was going on outside and he said, ‘I’m not coming out.’”
Officer Nitchman finally got Roni out of the police car, but they nearly failed to get back into the station. The door was partially blocked by a fence blown there by the wind.
“I love that dog. He’s my hip attachment almost every day of the week. He’s part of our family. We can’t leave a loved one like that. There’s no way I was going to leave him like that,” Officer Nitchman said. “I’m grateful he’s okay.”
Officer Nitchman selflessly ran to help his four-legged partner during a tornado. He knew the situation was critical, and couldn’t let anything happen to his trusted companion. That is going above and beyond the call of duty.