Officers Honored For Life-Saving Actions In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — The Hamden Police Department recently honored several officers with awards for outstanding service, according to Capt. Ronald Smith. The department issued 39 “Letters of Commendation,” 31 “Unit Citations,” nine “Life Saving Awards” and a “Medal of Honor” for incidents that occurred over the past several years, according to Smith.

Officer Ronald Glifort received a “Life Saving Award” for an April 2017 incident in which he entered Lake Whitney to save a woman who was trapped inside of her vehicle, according to Smith.

“Officer Glifort broke a window of the vehicle, entered and removed the female, with the assistance of Hamden Fire Department personnel,” Smith said in a news release.

Officer Justin Martin also received a “Life Saving Award” for an April 2017 incident in which he grabbed a 91-year-old Leeder Hill Drive resident as he was trying to jump off a sixth-floor building.

Officer Andrew Pfeiffer was awarded the “Medal of Honor” for a Jan. 2, 2018 incident in which he responded to a robbery-in-progress at Krauszer’s, 1959 State St.

“Believing that the clerk was in danger, Officer Pfeiffer entered the store,” Smith said. “He was immediately fired upon. As the suspect exited the store, he continued to fire his weapon at Officer Pfeiffer. The suspect was apprehended shortly thereafter. Officer Pfeiffer’s selfless dedication to duty and decisive actions/tactics were key elements in the arrest of a dangerous felon.”

Smith said the police department’s administration “expresses its gratitude for the selfless actions and dedication to service for all of the recipients.”