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Life Saving Incident

January 10, 2008
Washington
Spokane County
Spokane

On January 10, 2008, Senior Police Officer Daniel Lesser was off-duty, attending his daughter's soccer practice at the indoor soccer center, located at 5900 N. Market. Suncrest resident Dan Jones, whose daughter is on the same team as Lesser's daughter, was also at the practice. Around 6:15 p.m. Theresa Duddy ran inside the building saying she thought her father was having a heart attack. Officer Lesser and Mr. Jones went and found Mr. Duddy sitting unresponsive in his car. The men rested him on the ground and Officer Lesser checked Duddy's vital signs. When he realized Duddy had no pulse and wasn't breathing he decided they needed to start CPR. Officer Lesser told a bystander to call 911 and told Dan Jones to start rescue breathing. While doing chest compressions, Officer Lesser directed another person to dial Police Radio. They held a phone up to Officer Lesser's ear while he explained the situation to a radio supervisor and requested that medics hurry. Officer Lesser and Jones treated Duddy for almost 40 minutes, continuing CPR until medics arrived. Mr. Duddy, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy, suffered no significant effects from the heart attack. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer was one of the people who recommended Officer Lesser for the award. He says the "Spokane Fire Department is very grateful to Officer Lesser for his dedication and service while assisting Duddy, and especially appreciate his competence in CPR."

The history of law enforcement in the United States is a long and wonderful history of bravery. This website is dedicated to documenting the heroic deeds of law enforcement officers throughout the United States who have either given or risked their lives to save others. There are many stories of bravery and heroism for many who are considered first responders. However, it is those in law enforcement who are most likely to be the first to arrive upon a location requiring life saving acts engaging dangerous hostage takers, running into burning buildings/vehicles, providing first aid to seriously injured victims, saving near drowning victims and much more are what the women and men of law enforcement do routinely and at many times, great peril to their own safety.
It is our mission to document the history of lives saved by those dedicated women and men in law enforcement. To share with others the dramatic deeds of those individuals who are the first, first responders. It is so important for our citizens to understand that law "enforcement" is not always about enforcing the law but rather being there when our citizens need us.
It is to this end we are dedicated to promoting documentation regarding the history of law enforcement and the lives they have saved.