Email to a Friend
Print Friendly Version
Dickens named county's top police officer for 2007
Monday, November 27, 2007
The Heroes of Denton County recently recognized Lewisville Police Department officer Steve Dickens as the 2007 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
LPD Assistant Chief Jerry Galler nominated Dickens for the award for his life-saving actions on both Jan. 18 and Feb. 21.
In January, Dickens and another officer responded to a choking child at a Lewisville residence. Arriving before paramedics, Dickens found the 18-month old child not breathing. He administered back blows to the baby until the obstruction was dislodged.
“Breathing was restored, and the cries of the baby were a wonderful sound to everyone present,” Galler wrote in his nomination.
“The baby was transported to the hospital for evaluation, and certainly the baby would have died had Officer Dickens not taken the decisive and immediate steps to evaluate and administer aid to the child.”
Just one month later, Dickens responded to a rescue on Round Grove Road, where a man was found unconscious in his overturned vehicle. The man was pinned inside the vehicle and positioned to where the seatbelt was restricting his airway. Dickens crawled up on the side of the vehicle and lifted the man, whose face was turning blue from not breathing.
The man immediately resumed breathing, and Dickens supported the man’s weight until assisted by Lewisville Fire Department Paramedics.
“Officer Dickens exemplifies what The Heroes of Denton County stands for and why it exists,” Galler said. “The unique abilities and dedication to others and the decisive actions by Officer Dickens certainly make him one of Denton County’s greatest heroes.”
The Heroes of Denton County also named the Firefighter of the Year and Telecommunicator of the Year.
Lewisville Police Department dispatcher Diana Fairchild was nominated for the award by LPD Captain Jay Powell.
On March 13, Investigator Javier Carcano was assisting a sexual assault victim, following her to Denton Regional Hospital for treatment and testing. Carcano noticed a vehicle that seemed to be following the suspect. Upon arrival at the hospital, the suspect shot at Carcano.
Fairchild handled the callas the situation unfolded, arranging for Denton and Lewisville officers to respond to Carcano’s location.
“She was able to remain calm under stress and made sure that all necessary notifications were made,” Powell wrote in his nomination.
The 2007 Telecommunicator of the Year award went to Juston Holton of the Flower Mound Fire Department. The Firefighter of the Year was awarded to Scott Eager of the Roanoke Fire Department.
