The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum (NLEMM) announced their June 2021 Officers of the Month are Officers Kyle Petrone and Bradley Speight from the Wilmington (North Carolina) Police Department.
Officers Petrone and Speight were first on the scene of a house fire one evening in February. While waiting for the fire department to arrive, Petrone and Speight worked together with the help of a passerby to break the steel front door down, as well as several windows, to let smoke out.
Once the door had buckled, Petrone and Speight were able to enter the house, where they found a 39-year-old woman with severe burns, lying unconscious and unresponsive. Although the smoke was heavy, they were able to pull the victim from the house. She was then transported to the hospital in serious condition with life-threatening injuries.
Petrone and the citizen who helped gain entry to the house were also transported to the hospital, where Petrone was treated for smoke inhalation, and the citizen was treated for minor injuries.
In a report from WECT 6 News, Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams said, “This is another example of our officers going above and beyond the line of duty. The easy thing to do would have been to stand back and wait for the fire department to arrive, but these men put their own safety at risk to save someone else’s life, and they didn’t hesitate for a second. They didn’t stop to think about that person’s race, gender, economic status – it didn’t matter. They took action, and I’ve seen that happen several times over the last few months.”
“We’d like to thank Officer Petrone and Officer Speight for their heroic service, and we are delighted to present them with this award,” said Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. “We are honored to have the opportunity through this award to highlight the incredible things law enforcement officers do every day for our communities.”
The Officer of the Month Award Program is sponsored by the Police Unity Tour and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
