Page 51 - June 2017 Newsletter

NLEOMF formally honors Chicago of cers who saved baby
n BY DAN CAMPANA
The quick-thinking actions of two Chicago police officers to help a wounded 11-month-old child were formally recognized last month at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation’s annual awards dinner.
When Officer Michael Modzelews-
ki and now-Sergeant John Conneely
responded to a shooting on Sept. 28,
2015, in a South Side neighborhood, they encountered a woman carrying a child who was one of five people struck by gunfire in a drive-by shooting.
After learning that no ambulances were available to go to the scene and treat the child, the officers decided to violate Department protocol, which requires them to wait for medics to transport patients to area hospitals.
Modzelewski secured the child in their police vehicle and continued to apply pressure to the gunshot wound. While driving to the nearest trauma center, several miles away, Conneely radioed details of the shooting to dis- patchers and contacted the hospital about the child’s injuries so that emergency medical personnel would be
ready to begin treatment upon arrival. Doctors credited the child’s survival to the officers’ decision to drive the in- fant to the hospital and their constant communication with the medical staff. Modzelewski and Conneely com- mented to the NLEOMF about their concerns as to whether they had made the right decision, given that the situa- tion isn’t one typically found in train- ing. Both men agreed that their in- stincts to try to save a life kicked in, no matter what the
rules state. They were not disciplined for their actions. The pair were named NLEOMF’s Officers of the Month for April 2016, and they received their awards during a May dinner held as part of National Police Week activities
in Washington D.C.
“These officers knew they had to make a quick decision
to save this baby who was caught up in the violent shoot- ings in Chicago,” said Craig W. Floyd, president and CEO of NLEOMF. “While breaking protocol is never encour- aged, their choice to take the child with them and keep in constant contact with the dispatcher and hospital likely saved his life.” d
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