Maryland Trooper Named NLEOMF Officer of the Month
For preventing a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge, Trooper First Class Joshua Kim, of the Maryland State Police, has been named NLEOMF Officer of the Month for March 2015.
Photo: NLEOMF
For preventing a suicidal man from jumping off a bridge, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced the selection of Trooper First Class Joshua Kim, of the Maryland State Police, as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for March 2015.
“Trooper Kim’s decisive intervention saved the life of this citizen,” said Memorial Fund Chairman and CEO Craig Floyd. “He is truly a hero to his community and a deserving recipient of our March 2015 Officer of the Month Award.”
Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
Trooper First Class Joshua Kim, along with the other Officer of the Month Award recipients for 2015 will be honored at a special awards ceremony in Washington, DC, in May 2016, during National Police Week. In addition, their stories of service and heroism will be featured in the Memorial Fund's annual calendar.
On Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 6:23 pm, Trooper Kim was patrolling the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, 90 feet above the Susquehanna River on I-95 in Hartford County, Maryland, when he noticed something was amiss. He spotted a man walking along the side of the busy bridge away from a nearby parked car. Trooper Kim immediately made a U-turn and went back to check on the man.
As soon as Trooper Kim pulled up behind the man, he turned and waved at Trooper Kim, and then began climbing over the three-foot barrier to jump off the bridge.
With no regard for his own safety, Trooper Kim darted from his vehicle and grabbed the man around his waist to prevent him from climbing over the concrete barrier. Relying on his past experience as a football player, Trooper Kim lowered his body as he grabbed the man so that he would not be pulled over the barricade with him.
Trooper Kim handcuffed the man to prevent him from harming himself by running into traffic, before taking him to an area hospital for evaluation.
Trooper Kim’s heroic rescue was captured on his vehicle dashboard camera.
Trooper Kim has been a Maryland State Trooper for approximately two-and-a-half years and is assigned to the JFK Memorial Highway Barracks in Perryville, Md.
“Trooper First Class Kim’s bravery, selflessness and dedication to public safety are what make him truly one of ‘Maryland’s Finest’ and an example to all law enforcement,” shared Lieutenant Ronald Diggs, Executive Officer, MSP Field Operations Bureau.
For more information about the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award, visit www.LawMemorial.org/OTM.
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