October 27, 2014 Superior Performance and Heroism Sgt. Cory Runge On October 27, 201 The Flagstaff Police Department received a letter from a citizen who was visiting Flagstaff on October 25, 2014 as his daughter is attending Northern Arizona University. The citizen wrote a letter to Chief Treadway and it read as follows. On Saturday, October 25, 2014 at around 1000 hrs. I was in Flagstaff to visit my daughter, who is a student at NAU and was to be performing in the NAU homecoming parade as one of the NAU Band players. AS my wife and I were walking on San Francisco Street towards the parade area and at the railroad tracks, we saw a group of clearly intoxicated people walking towards the tracks (BNSF). A large freight train was approaching the intersection and the warning gates had already closed and the alarm bells were ringing. The intoxicated group went around the warning gates and crossed the railroad tracks with the train approaching very fast. One of you Flagstaff Police Officers (Sergeant Cory Runge) ran towards the group clearly yelling for them to get away from the railroad tracks as the train was coming quickly. One of the group, a large WMA, stopped in the middle of the railroad tracks and faced the oncoming train and was foolishly playing “chicken” with the train and was waving his arms and hips at the train and laughing. Your Officer then performed an heroic act and ran towards the intoxicated subject who was not heeding his orders to move out of the path of the train. Your officer then had to risk his life and limb to safe of this intoxicated subject who did not realize he would have been killed had not your officer put himself in harm’s way by pushing him out of the path of the train, avoiding a most probable death of the intoxicated reveler. Your Officer ten had to struggle with the intoxicated subject, whose life he and just saved. My instincts and training told me to try and assist your Officer in taking this subject into custody but the train started crossing within seconds and prevented me from getting to the other side. It also appeared the subject’s friends were not happy with your Officer taking the subject into custody and they probably did not realize he was saving the subject’s life. I did not get a chance to personally thank your Officer for his superior performance and heroic act. I believe your Officer should be recognized and commended for his actions that day and am glad he is safe and was not injured or killed while saving the subject’s life. I am happy that you have officers who represent the Flagstaff Police Department so well and fell safer having my daughter living in your city and attending NAU. I would personally thank your Officer for his selfless act and heroism but I do not have his name –please pass on to him my gratitude for providing exemplary service to all in Flagstaff, even the ones who behave badly. My daughter is still only a sophomore at NAU so I will be visiting your fine City in the future and hope one day I might be able to shake the hand of the officer who I witnessed representing you Police Department so well. I also saw several other of your officers along the parade route and they also represented the Flagstaff Police well considering there were so many obnoxious intoxicated young people congregated in a small area.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 17:47:32 +0000
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