Police work usually involves chasing down criminally-minded people or removing dangerous weapons from the street, but sometimes it involves deeds that save lives.
Such was the case for veteran police officers Dominick Nasso and William Glenn, whose quick and action saved a baby’s life.
The deed earned the duo “Cop of the Month” citations at the recent 67th Precinct Community Council meeting.
The incident unraveled when the two patrol officers answered a distress call of an infant unconscious.
Upon responding to the scene, they saw a man attempting resuscitation measures on the child.
“It was hard to tell if the baby was breathing,” recalled Glenn.
According to 67th Precinct commanding officer Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues, the two acted quickly, putting the man attempting to resuscitate the baby and the baby in the back of their squad car, and radioing ahead to the hospital.
“They made it to the hospital in four minutes flat,” said Pegues.
Once there, doctors were able to finds the cause of the problem and removed a lollypop lodged in the baby’s throat.
The man trying to resuscitate the baby was a state trooper who lived across the hall from the child’s family, said Glenn.
Glenn said he was worried that the baby had suffered brain damage because it was unconscious for so long, but after visiting the hospital the next day, was thrilled to see the child was fine.
“It was the best thing I ever did since I came on the force 15 years ago. It meant the most to me,” said Glenn, who has three daughters of his own.
Also at the meeting, Officer Louis Ducceshi was honored with the June “Cop of the Month” citation for arrests made stemming from a burglary call.
Pegues said upon arriving at the scene of the crime, Ducceshi encountered the two thieves – one carrying a safe and the other carrying a TV – and made the arrest.
“When you go into a building answering this type of call you don’t know what will jump out at you,” said Pegues.
Pegues also gave a “Cop of the Month” citation to Officer Zahid Mehmood, who, together with Ducceshi, stopped a motorist driving erratically after leaving a nightclub.
Upon stopping the car, Mehmood, utilizing police training, recovered a .9-millimeter handgun.
Mehmood, a member of the Street Narcotic Enforcement Unit (SNEU), said he has taken several guns off the street in his career.
When asked what his favorite thing was about being a cop, he replied, “Just helping somebody and trying to save somebody’s life.”
