Several Amarillo Police Department officers received recognition in a ceremony yesterday conducted by police chief Ed Drain. During the ceremony, Chief Drain presented multiple awards to local officers.
Officer Douglas Richardson received the Medal of Honor for being shot at during a traffic stop. On October 24th, Officer Richardson attempted to make a traffic stop. The car did not stop and began firing rounds at the officer. Officer Richardson continued his pursuit of the suspect, on Interstate 40, which led across the New Mexico state line. Officer Richardson relayed his location on his radio, until it was out of range, at which point he relayed his location through his cell phone. During the chase, the suspect exited his vehicle in New Mexico. The suspect fired shots at the officer and was later shot and taken into custody by a DPS trooper.
Corporal Sheldon West and Corporal Craig Cothrin both received APD Life Saving awards. On December 13th, the corporals were able to perform life saving maneuvers and get a pulse back for a victim.
Officer Justin Frye and Officer Rhett Amburn were also awarded APD Life Saving awards for their work on August 7th. During the event, the officers performed life saving measures on an unconscious female victim and were able to produce a pulse.
Corporal Jon Heath and Corporal Mike Williams were awarded Meritorious Service Citations for their duties from November 2015 to November 2016.
Sergeant Brent Barbee was also awarded a Meritorious Service Citation for his service with the Amarillo Police Department Crime Prevention Unit. Barbee has served with APD since 1979. Barbee was influential in promoting the usage of Nixle and Twitter for APD.
For more information about the awards, please visit police.amarillo.gov.
