‘Great work gets done every day,’ Officers recognized for good deeds at award ceremony

DAYTON — More than 40 officers were recognized for their good deeds at the Dayton Police’s Award Ceremony at the Salvation Army Dayton Kroc Center yesterday morning.

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott was at the ceremony and talked to officers who said they were shocked some of their deeds were recognized.

“Great work gets done every day in our in our field. It’s not the sexiest thing. It’s the little things,” Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal said.

No deed was too big or small, with officers being honored for something as simple as picking up the tab for kids trying to buy snacks at the gas station.

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Awards were also handed out for bigger things like bravely getting people out of a burning building.

Patrol Officer Kyle Harris and his partner Riley Brown saw an apartment building on fire in Kettering, which isn’t even their jurisdiction, and pulled over and ran inside.

“Immediately knew we had to make entry into the building and went straight to the 13th floor and started clearing each floor, floor by floor all the way to the bottom,” Harris said.

Harris and Brown were two of five officers who were awarded the Medal of Valor - the highest award an officer can receive.

“It was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t. I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware that I was receiving it today,” Harris said.

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The three other officers who received the Medal of Valor were Jason Bryant, Michael Pena, and Justin Poteet after they responded to a pickup truck that slammed into a home on Sylvan Drive in Dayton.

The man who lived there was pinned under the bed of the truck. Despite the smell of natural gas, the officers risked their safety to quickly get the man out of the home with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers weren’t the only ones recognized. Savannah Shediak, the nurse who pulled over and performed CPR and saved the life of Dayton Recruit Solomon Kessio in October.

News Center 7 previously reported on a pickup truck that slammed into a police cruiser on the highway and seriously injured Kessio. He stopped breathing on the side of the road.

Shediak was awarded a citizen citation for her efforts in saving Kessio’s life.

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Chief Afzal said being able to see the people in our community who help his department and be able to shine a light on his staff’s hard work gives him pride.

“Every day, somebody needs help. And these men and women go every day. And it’s a thankless job, but it’s just part of our DNA,” Afzal said.

The men and women who were awarded were nominated, meaning someone saw their hard work and good deeds and thought they should be honored.

“It’s nice to be able to come out on a day like this with all of our fellow officers and see everyone get recognized for the wonderful things that they’re doing out here in the community,” Harris said.

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