Dixon Police Officers To Receive Lifesaving Award

DIXON, CA — Three Dixon police officers will be honored Tuesday at the Dixon City Council meeting for the immediate and life-saving actions they took in a recent incident involving a report of a possibly suicidal person, according to a news release from Dixon Police Department.

Upon receiving the report Jan. 5 that a male subject may be trying to take his own life, Dixon police Sgt. Joe Strickland, Officer Gabe Hollingshead and Officer Ken Warren conducted a threat assessment and determined it was a credible suicidal threat.

With the assistance of Solano County dispatchers, the officers then obtained cell-site data for the male subject and determined an area of Dixon where he might be located.

In a methodical search of the area, Strickland, Hollingshead and Warren found a male inside a vehicle on Gateway Drive in Dixon. When they saw he was sealed inside the car and had a gas generator running in the backseat, filling the car with carbon monoxide, they gained entry to the car where the male was unconscious and barely breathing.

They removed him from the car and provided life-sustaining support until medics could arrive and transport him to a hospital.

In a letter he would later write to the officers, he stated in part:

"I am the individual that the Officers pulled out of the car during my suicide attempt. I have sat here to write to you to say thank you and found myself rewriting this email several times. It is hard to put my feelings into words and find the correct words that can even come close to expressing my gratitude, regret, embarrassment and sorrow I feel...

"I know I owe you my life, you are on a long list of individuals who went above and beyond to save a complete stranger…Through your actions and the actions of the department. I am here alive and writing you, I am here grateful I can walk, speak and are able to continue planning my life out. I fully owe that to you and the network of individuals who saved me.

"I can promise you that I am working with…mental health professionals and they are working to help me heal, to understand my actions, and prevent this from ever occurring again. I promise I will never forget what you did for me even though I have no recollection of the events. I feel a simple thank you is not enough but it is all I can offer at the moment, so thank you."

Following the incident, the sergeant and two officers were nominated for and selected to receive a Chief's Commendation for Excellence.

Strickland, Hollingshead and Warren will be presented with the awards during the meeting set to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Dixon City Council Chambers, 600 East A St.

Photos courtesy Dixon Police Department

Editor's Note: For anyone struggling with this issue, help is available through the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.