Law enforcement officers are challenged daily in the performance of their duties; they face each challenge freely and unselfishly while answering the call to duty. In certain instances, their actions warrant special attention from their respective departments. The Bulletin also wants to recognize those situations that transcend the normal rigors of the law enforcement profession.

Corporal Michael Patterson, Deputy Casey Bruce, and Deputy Phillip Smith of the Lee County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a local lake after calls were received concerning a male subject who had gone under the water and disappeared. The deputies arrived on the scene in six minutes as witnesses prepared to show them the last place the man was seen in the water. Removing their unnecessary gear, the deputies entered the lake and began looking for the victim, continually diving through water that was several feet above their heads. Seven minutes into the search, Deputy Bruce located the victim. The deputies brought the man to the bank of the lake, where medical personnel performed CPR and transported him to the hospital. Three days after the incident, after consulting with doctors, the victim’s family removed him from life support, and he passed away.

Nominations for the Bulletin Notes should be based on either the rescue of one or more citizens or arrest(s) made at unusual risk to an officer’s safety. Submissions should include a short write-up (maximum of 250 words), a separate photograph of each nominee, and a letter from the department’s ranking officer endorsing the nomination. Submissions can be e-mailed to leb@ic.fbi.gov or mailed to Editor, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA 22135.