The 40th annual Knights of Columbus Police Appreciation on Wednesday evening honoured civilians who helped Peterborough police officers in a variety of situations, including life-saving incidents.
Twenty-two recipients were recognized. A full list of the recipients and their efforts can be found here: online.
Const. Samuel McCullum (with Police Service Dog Hal) was named the Knights of Columbus Police Officer of the Year.
One of his notable incidents of 2017 happened on March 18, when an intoxicated 16-year-old fled into a series of fields and fell into the Otonabee River.
Joined by auxiliary Const. Max Milan, McCullum had Hal to track the girl’s path. By the time Hal found the girl, she had been in the icy water for approximately 15 minutes, police said.
Milan jumped into the water and was able to support the girl while McCullum used the dog’s leash to loop under the girl’s arms to lift her out of the water.
“When she was removed she was suffering the effects of hypothermia,” police said.
Other officers drove a cruiser through a field in order to remove the girl and transport her to the road where she was turned over to Peterborough paramedics for treatment.
“Without the quick work of yourself and PSD Hal, a good deal of time could have expired resulting in the death of the female party due to exposure or drowning. Although entering the water is a last resort, had PC McCullum not acted quickly, this incident may not have ended successfully,” police stated
In addition to the awards, Exemplary Service Awards were presented to Const. Matthew Cumming (20-year medal); Const. Dan Hickey (30-year medal) and Sgt. Robert MacLean (30-year medal).
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