Healdsburg Police Officer Gets High Honors for Saving Teen's Life

Healdsburg Police Cpl. Tanya Potter received one of the department's highest honors, the "Life Saving Award," at Monday night's Healdsburg City Council meeting.

"This is important and means a lot to me," said Potter, who received the award for reviving an unconscious and non-breathing 17-year-old teen girl at on July 10. "I do CPR a lot, but this is the first time I've saved a life doing CPR."

Potter said she has performed CPR five times this year, but the other four people could not be revived and, unfortunately, died.

"It's been a rough year -- usually police officers don't have any CPR cases, but I've had five," Potter said. "Her being so young, I'm glad I was able to bring her back."

Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke praised Potter, saying it was "no surprise" that she received the award, because Potter was the "part of the backbone of the department," and the "go-to person" on the force.

Potter said the rescue came when she responded to a 911 call on July 10 that a young girl was lying on the ground at Giorgi Park.

"She wasn't breathing and she had no pulse," Potter said. "She was just laying there."

Potter started CPR and continued it, even after the medical crew arrived.

"I kept doing it while they set up," Potter said. "After two minutes, she brushed me away."

Potter said she doesn't know what caused the girl's heart to stop, although "I think she was heavily intoxicated," Potter said.

"She's fine now," Potter said of the teen, who is a Healdsburg resident but whom she declined to identify.

Potter has been a police officer for 11 years, the last 3 1/2 years with the Healdsburg Police Department. Before that, she was with the Santa Rosa Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.