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Life Saving Incident

November 15, 2008
Maine
Penobscot County
Bangor

On November 15, 2008, Officer Tim Shaw responded to a call for assistance at a residence. The limited information provided was that someone had kicked in the door and that there was a lot of screaming. The call was then terminated. Officer Shaw arrived to discover the door of the residence had been forced and he could hear hollering from behind a closed door on the second floor. Specifically, a male voice demanding money and the sound of someone being struck. After Officer Shaw assessed the situation and determined that an immediate response was necessary to insure the safety of victims inside the residence, he forced the door. Upon entering the residence, Officer Shaw observed two males standing in front of three additional males who were sitting on a sofa. The seated males had blood on their faces and necks. One of the two standing males was pointing a .44 revolver at the chest of one of the three victims. Officer Shaw immediately pointed his firearm at the male and ordered him to drop his weapon. Instead of complying the armed suspect walked away. Officer Shaw continued to maintain his composure and again ordered the suspect to drop his weapon. Instead of dropping his firearm, the suspect turned and handed it the weapon to Officer Shaw holding it by the barrel. The second suspect began acting belligerent. Officer Shaw immediately ordered him to lay face-down on the floor. Both suspects were taken into custody following the arrival of other officers. Officer Shaw was later commended for exceptional valor. When presenting the commendation, Chief of Police Ron Gastia stated, “It is my belief that had you not taken such action, the likelihood of further, more serious injuries to the victims would have occurred. Because of you, their safety was guaranteed, and perhaps their lives were saved. I appreciate your efforts and I commend you for performing your duties with such a high degree of excellence. You have represented your badge and department well through your professionalism and poise in the face of danger while handling this incident." (Cops Save Lives also adds it's congratulations considering this kind of life saving where the officer would most likely have been justified in using deadly force and did not )

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.