Page 55 - October 2019 FOP

Four officers honored for fending off man with machete
n BY DAN CAMPANA
When things escalated quickly on the Sunday afternoon over Labor Day weekend, a quartet of Chicago Police Officers not only responded but protected themselves and a machete-wield- ing suspect from a far more dangerous situation.
Because of the way they handled the incident, the four — Of- ficers Fernando Ruiz, Jacob Geary, Connor Purdy and Jeremy Keller — earned the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s (CPMF) Officer of the Month award for September.
It started with a call around 4 p.m. about a man in East Gar- field Park throwing rocks from a viaduct and was soon followed by a report from dispatchers that another man needed medi- cal attention. The next update came in as a “10-1” that required immediate assistance. Although the four officers were not as- signed to the call, they quickly responded to the set of railroad tracks in the vicinity of the viaduct.
Upon arrival, the officers discovered one man unrespon- sive on the tracks; a second man nearby waved a machete and screamed. The officers initially thought that the machete-wield- ing man might have killed or injured the other man. They used good verbal direction and composure to convince the man to surrender, officials said.
However, the man began to resist as soon as officers began to handcuff him. The man was able to grab the machete again be- fore Ruiz deployed his Taser in an attempt to subdue him. Only one prong struck the man, who became increasingly combat- ive. Ruiz’s second use of the Taser proved successful and gave Geary and Purdy a chance to fully cuff the man and get the ma- chete away from him. In the struggle, Keller suffered a cut to his
Prost!
hand that required stitches.
Officials credited the officers’ teamwork with keeping the sit-
uation under control in order to prevent harm to police and the second man, who was later found to be uninjured but under the influence of alcohol. The suspect was taken to a facility for treatment of mental health issues, police said.
“We honor these officers today as an example of the skills an officer must possess to deal with these rapidly changing situa- tions they face with every police call,” CPMF Executive Director Phil Cline said at an event honoring the award winners. “They are receiving top-quality training to access and use options to control situations with an emphasis to de-escalate situations and bring them under control.
“Police today are more educated and receiving better training than in the past — and it is making for a better officer on the street and a safer Chicago for all of us,” Cline added.
The German American Police Association will host Oktoberfest
on Friday, November 8
7 p.m. to midnight
Hofbräuhaus Chicago 5500 Park Place • Rosemont, IL 60018
$80 includes Beer, Cocktails & Soda; Dinner and Entertainment
For tickets & information, contact Bryan Pyferoen, 773-860-8072, John Meindl, 019 District, 773-710-6246, or gapatix@gmail.com
New members welcome! GAPA meets the second Tuesday of the month at the DANK Haus, 4740 N. Western Ave. Visit gapachicago.org for information.
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