Life Saving Incident
March 19, 2017
Missouri
Jackson County
Independence
On the evening of March 19, 2017, Officer Dustin Stewart deployed stop sticks in an attempt to stop a fleeing suspect who was in a stolen vehicle. He was able to flatten the driver’s side tires.
The suspect swerved in an attempt to avoid the stop sticks and when doing so, lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a residence striking a natural gas main and knocking the house off its foundation. The resulting explosion caught both the residence and the suspect vehicle on fire.
Recognizing the house was occupied, Officers Stewart and Rick Romero approached the burning house and attempted to open the front door. It was pinned by the iron railing from the front porch.
Officer Stewart kicked in the glass storm door then the front entry door and called out for the resident of the house. After locating him, Officers Stewart and Romero helped the elderly resident, who was on oxygen, crawl through the storm door and lead him away from the now fully engulfed house.
If not for the actions of Officer Stewart and Romero, the resident would have surely died in the fire, due to the fact that the house was fully engulfed within 90 seconds.
For their actions Officers Stewart and Romero received the Life Saving Award.
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.
