GREENFIELD — Six police officers were recognized for outstanding acts of bravery at the Nov. 8 Greenfield City Council meeting, as proud parents and spouses snapped pictures.
Sgt. John Cutler, Lt. Justin Jackson, Det. Andrew Pfaff and patrolmen Blake Crull, Jarrod Davis and Daniel Montgomery were awarded medals for various heroic acts in the line of duty.
Greenfield Police Chief Brian Hartman told the officers the awards weren’t necessarily for them, however, but for their children and grandchildren.
“As the years go by, these awards will collect dust and the medals will start to tarnish and the memories of tonight will fade away,” said Hartman in an emotional address.
“As these are placed in a box, the awards are not for you, as I know none of you come to work each and every day to collect awards. These awards are for your kids and your grandkids to find one day and realize how important the things you’ve done in your life really were,” he said. “I’m proud of every officer who earned an award tonight, as well as every officer on this department. These men and women come to work every day to keep this community safe, and every officer in this department deserves an award for their professionalism, dedication and bravery.”
Greenfield mayor Chuck Fewell echoed those sentiments.
“We see (these officers) in their cars doing mundane activities, but we don’t think about the danger and the lives they have saved,” he told the crowd.
“This is a great recognition program to let the families see how much we appreciate them as individuals because these are the ones who are doing the job out there to keep us safe. We can sleep pretty good tonight knowing we have these kinds of young men on our police department, so thank you very much.”
Kacie Jackson beamed as she her 10-month-old son in her arms and watched her husband receive the Meritorious Service Award for the time he rushed to assist other officers in pulling a driver from a burning vehicle.
“We’re all very proud of him,” said the patrolman’s wife as her sons Drew, 6, and Joel, 9, stood alongside her.
“They boys idolize him,” she said.
The police chief said it’s an honor to work alongside such brave men and women.
“I am blessed every day that I have an opportunity to wake up and put this badge on, and not because it says police chief,” he told the officers, “but because it says Greenfield police, which means I get to be part of a department that each and every one of you represents, and that’s an honor to me.”
