General Life Saving Awards
Officer Ric EngleOfficer Jeffrey BucknerOfficer Aaron Williams & Officer Jason RussellK-9 Officer Steven MeadorSgt. Traci May & Officer Celtain R. BattersonSgt. Bryan ChurchwellJuly 16 Life Saving AwardsFor the recovery of injured Petty Officer Randall SmithOfficer Benjamin PiazzaOfficer Christian MullinixOfficer Edward BuckmanSergeant Chad SullivanLieutenant Craig JoelOfficer Jeremy EamesOfficer Shane LawsonOfficer Chad RoweFor the recovery of Officer Dennis Pedigo Jr.Officer Curtis MorrisOfficer Sean O’BrienOfficer Lucas TimmonsOfficer Ty CooperOfficer Steve WiertelOfficer Barry VradenburgOfficer Jason Randall WoodOfficer Jennifer McCoyOfficer Michael S. SmithSource: Chattanooga Police Department
Chattanooga police honored about 75 officers for various achievements and accomplishments on Thursday during the department's annual awards ceremony at Calvary Chapel on Broad Street.
Officers and civilians were recognized for everything from pulling a man from a burning building to providing exceptional leadership in the wake of the July 16, 2015, terrorist-inspired attacks.
Many of those who accepted awards did so for actions on and after the July 16 attack. Police Chief Fred Fletcher gave nine officers life-saving awards for helping to pull Officer Dennis Pedigo out of the line of fire after he was wounded during the attack.
Another eight officers were recognized for helping U.S. Navy Petty Officer Randall Smith escape the attack after he was shot multiple times. He later died at a hospital.
U.S. Navy Chief Charlie Barba spoke during the ceremony. He said he and another person helped care for Smith in the moments after the 26-year-old was mortally wounded. They were huddled in a small office.
"It wasn't until [Chattanooga police] arrived that we began to feel safe," he told the crowd.
Officers were also recognized for performing life-saving CPR, yanking a suicidal woman down from the edge of a bridge, pulling a child away from a man armed with a gun and keeping a person with a deep cut in the wrist from bleeding to death.
"Today is one of my favorite days of the year," Fletcher said. "To celebrate the heroism of officers that goes above and beyond the everyday heroism."
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