On May 30, 2015, Officer Jessica Hawkins participated in a National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) run near downtown Greenville. At approximately 12:22 pm, when the race was over, Officer Hawkins was on her way home when she heard a call go out about a female in an electric wheelchair who had fallen down a 20-foot embankment into a creek. Although off duty and in athletic attire, Officer Hawkins was near the location and was the first officer to arrive at the scene. She observed bystanders watching the woman from the top of the embankment and saw the woman's body submerged under the water, as well as half of her head. Officer Hawkins immediately jumped into action and ran into the creek. It was clear that the woman had suffered a bad fall, as there was a lot of blood and a serious wound to the back of her head. Officers Hawkins grabbed the woman's head and kept it above water until other responders could arrive on the scene and rescue her from the creek. Since the incident, Officer Hawkins has visited the woman in the hospital, at the patient's request, so that she could thank the officer for rescuing her. Officer Hawkins also assisted in the process of getting her a new wheelchair. For her efforts The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund selected Officer Jessica Hawkins of the Greenville (SC) Police Department as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for September 2015.