By Heather Bell
RADFORD – The three Radford City Police Officers who were recognized on the state level for saving citizen’s lives were presented with their awards from the Virginia Police Chiefs Association (VPCA) at Monday’s Radford City Council meeting.
RCPD Officer Clayton R. Benson and Sgt. Travis P. Coffey were 2021 recipients of the award, and Sgt. Emily Hite was the 2020 awardee. According to the VPCA, “the award for lifesaving recognizes an officer’s actions that put the officer in harm’s way in the attempt to save the life of another individual. The honorees from across the commonwealth risked their own lives in an effort to save others from burning buildings and vehicles, drownings, stabbings, shootings, attempted suicides, and other dangerous situations.”
Radford Mayor David Horton lauded the officers for their efforts during Monday’s presentation. Buena Vista Police Chief Richard Keith Hartman, who serves as Vice President of the VPCA, presented the officers with the awards along with Radford Police Chief Jeff Dodson.
Benson’s and Coffey’s awards stem from an incident in August 2020 when people reported a tuber in distress in the New River.
“Officers Benson and Coffey were first on the scene and observed the distressed citizen in the water and coordinated the arrival of Radford Fire and EMS personnel,” said Horton. “They immediately shed their police gear, waded into the water, and swam out to the citizen. They were able to calm the panicked tuber and lead him to the riverbank where care was transferred to EMS personnel.”
Hite’s award is the result of her assistance to a man who had a tree fall on him. Hite, who was off-duty at the time, was a block away from the man and heard his yells for help.
“Without hesitation Sergeant Hite located the male subject and found that a large tree trunk had fallen on him,” said Horton. “When fire and EMS arrived on the scene, Sergeant Hite placed herself underneath the man to stabilize him while plans were implemented on how to remove this large tree trunk. During the time Sergeant Hite was stabilizing and supporting the man, she was reassuring him that everything would be okay.”
Monday’s City Council meeting is available for public view on the City of Radford’s YouTube channel. The City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
