NEWS RELEASE

HUNTSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

815 Wheeler Ave.

Huntsville, Alabama  35801

Awards to Be Presented

Huntsville, Alabama (January 14, 2010) Tonight at the Huntsville City Council meeting, Sergeant Brent Thatcher and Officers Robert Nelson & Coleman Sanders will receive Lifesaving medals. Also tonight, 2 citizens will be receiving Citizens Certificate of Appreciation Awards. These certificates will be presented tonight to Mr. Joe Demos & Ms. Margaret Cloys at the City Council meeting for assisting officers in saving a heart attack victim.

Officer Robert Nelson &Officer Coleman Sanders – Lifesaving Medal

Specifically, on November 20, 2009, Officers Nelson and Sanders were dispatched to a suicide attempt call where a man was in a truck with a hose going from the exhaust pipe to the cab of the truck. The man was lying across the seat and was unresponsive. Officers Nelson and Sanders cut the hose, broke and cleared the passenger window out of the truck in order to remove the victim from the vehicle, which saved his life. For the actions of both of these responding officers, they will be presented with a Lifesaving Medal.

Sergeant Brent Thatcher – Lifesaving Medal

Mr. Joe Demos & Ms. Margaret Cloys – Citizens Certificate of Commendation

Specifically, on September 30, 2009, Sergeant Brent Thatcher stopped to offer assistance to a person outside a business flagging an approaching Huntsville Fire Department truck down. In the business there was a man having a heart attack. Sergeant Thatcher entered the business and immediately started giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an elderly man while Mr. Joe Demos performed chest compressions. The victim was revived on the scene and transported to a local hospital where the victim later underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker. Later it was learned that Ms. Margaret Cloys’ had performed rescue breathing prior to Sgt. Thatcher’s arrival.  For Sergeant Thatcher’s actions, he will be presented the Huntsville Police Department’s Lifesaving Medal. For the caring nature of a fellow citizen, Mr. Joe Demos and Ms. Margaret Cloys will be presented with the Huntsville Police Department’s Citizen Certificate of Commendation.