Page 33 - 2018 July Newsletter

opposed to a pool, we knew that if his body went under, it would be hard to find them.”
Fire Rescue arrived on the scene a few seconds ahead of Sodetz and Mc- Donald. While firefighters prepared ropes and a ring buoy, the officers grabbed life jackets, discarded their vests, duty belts and boots, emptied their pockets and dove in.
Establishing a last point of seeing the victim to give to the CPD dive team if there was a need, McDonald and Sodetz swam toward the victim in the “Tactical V” formation to come up on either side. They first confirmed he didn’t have any weapons, then began asking him questions.
“We asked his name, what school he went to, why he was out there – simple questions with simple answers to see if we could get close enough to him,” Sodetz explained. “He responded, but it was mostly crying. He wasn’t inter- ested in hurting us, but he was trying to get away from us.”
“He wasn’t interested in hurting us, but he was trying to get away from us.”
David Sodetz
Because the boy was approximate- ly six feet tall and reportedly weighed nearly 260 pounds, McDonald was concerned about him dragging them under when grabbing him. Using the ring buoy and the Fire Rescue ropes, the officers were able to make their way back to shore with the boy in tow.
But it was a bit of a struggle.
“Once we got to the shore, it was a steep grade to get out,” Sodetz add- ed. “Once we were able to touch the ground, it was a little better.”
Sodetz, who has been in 004 for two and a half years, noted that about the only negative aspect of the incident that lasted about five minutes was that their “uniforms stunk afterward.”
McDonald observed that the res-
cue was a scenario he had trained on many times as a lifeguard.
“It just had been a few years since I’ve had to do it,” he quipped. “I guess I’m still young enough to react.”
Speaking of reaction, McDonald called the response to his response surreal. He noted the outpouring of support the officers have received on social media, especially from residents of the Mount Greenwood and Beverly neighborhoods where McDonald grew up that are part of the 4th District. He added that the next day at roll call, he mentioned he was ready to go into the water again if there were a call.
And that’s when the congratulations started to flow like the currents in Wolf Lake. Since that day, other officers in 004 have taken to calling McDonald “Aquaman.” Some are still doing so. Which is more than appropriate since McDonald and Sodetz showed with their lifesaving response that Chicago Police Officers truly can be superhe- roes. d
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2018 33