Page 44 - February 2018 FOP Newsletter

ecial delier earns officers CP award
n BY DAN CAMPANA
Working overtime on a CTA detail last fall, veteran Officers Lucyna Murawski and Therese Puchalski found themselves in a situation that neither had been in during their decades of com- bined police service.
The pair was called to the Roosevelt Road station on the Red Line around 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 1 for a report of a pregnant wom- an going into labor. Upon arrival, the officers worked with a CTA agent to provide the woman a little bit of privacy in a very public setting.
Within minutes, with the officers’ help, the woman gave birth to a baby girl. Murawski and Puchalski, who had contacted paramedics, comforted the mother as they swaddled the baby girl in a winter scarf and placed her next to her mother to keep warm on the cold morning.
But the story didn’t end there. The officers learned from the mother that a second baby was on her way. Firefighters and paramedics hit the scene in time to assist in the delivery of an- other baby girl. Although the second girl was delivered in dis- tress, the paramedics were able to help treat her. The mother and both newborns were taken to the hospital in good condition that morning.
The quick-thinking actions of Murawski and Puchalski earned them the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Officer of the Month awards for January.
“We salute these officers today as an appreciation for what many officers do every day. These officers did what they were trained to do: act quickly in difficult situations and bring a lev-
el of service and dignity to the citizens they serve,” said Frank Gross of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
Added Wentworth District Commander Crystal King-Smith, “They went into action, they did what they had to do and they helped one of our citizens.”
Murawski, an 18-year veteran, works overnights in the 2nd District. Puchalski, in her 26th year, is assigned to the 1st District. She’s been part of CPD’s bike squad, which handles public demonstrations. d
44 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2018