Bulletin Notes

Law enforcement officers are challenged daily in the performance of their duties; they face each encounter 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.

Officer Dave McLearin of the Champaign, Illinois, Police Department responded to the report of an unconscious 60-year-old man. Upon arriving at the scene, he observed the victim lying on the ground beside a tractor. Quickly, Officer McLearin determined that the individual was in cardiac arrest and began compressions. Two of the man’s coworkers were present—one was on the phone with dispatch to obtain CPR instructions. After emergency personnel arrived, Officer McLearin continued compressions while allowing the responders to establish an airway and prepare for defibrillation. When the emergency personnel assumed compressions, Officer McLearin helped retrieve equipment and secure the patient to the backboard, not leaving the victim’s side until personnel loaded the him into the ambulance. The man’s pulse and breathing had returned on scene. He was transported to the hospital, where he recovered. Officer McLearin’s swift response and determination at the scene proved critical to the patient’s survival, and he was awarded for his lifesaving actions.

Photo of Officer Dave McLearin of the Champaign, Illinois, Police Department.

Officer Dave McLearin


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.