H resolution
adopted by Qlty QoUHCll
of** Qity of GhicagOj Illinois
presented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL Qn OCTOBER 3, 2012
6VBCIS ' °n February 18, 2012, at about 1:00 p.m., a Lakeview man arid his girlfriend were walking his dog along Belmont Harbor when his dog suddenly jumped into the frigid water of Lake Michigan; and
WHEREAS, While trying to get his dog out of the water, the man slipped on the slick rocks and fell in, and as he was struggling to keep himself and his dog afloat as waves were crashing into them, passersby who saw him called 9-1-1; and
WHEREAS, Upon hearing the distress call, Town Hall Police Officer Elizabeth A. Joyce (Star Number 9871) who was working nearby, immediately rushed to the area, located the man, radioed the exact location of the incident, and swiftly began a rescue effort; and
WHEREAS, Without regard to her own safety, Officer Joyce quickly removed her duty belt, climbed down the icy rocks and lay down on her stomach at the edge of the freezing water, and braving two-foot-high waves and the gusty winds, she grabbed the victim, secured him with her duty belt, and kept his head from going under; and
WHEREAS, In the meantime, Officer Edmund A. Echevarria (Star Number 16665), a member of the Chicago Police Marine Unit, Town Hall District Lieutenant Robert H. Stasch (Star Number 187) and Sergeant William B. Neja (Star Number 1990) heard the dispatch call and rushed to the area to help; and
WHEREAS, The arriving officers climbed down the icy rocks to assist Officer Joyce, who was still holding the man securely, preventing him from drowning; and
WHEREAS, After several attempts, the officers safely pulled the victim and his dog from the water. The victim was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was treated for hypothermia, and his dog also received care and was safely returned; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Neja injured his knee when he hit a rock during the rescue effort, and all the officers were tr...
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