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.

One evening, Officers Christopher Clouse, Kolin Kinder, Brian Ramey, and Jaime Thorn of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were answering a domestic disturbance call when the same apartment caught fire after the woman who had reported the incident left a pan on the stove to go outside to speak to the officers.

An alarm and shouts of a fire caused all four officers to spring into action. They ran up to the woman’s apartment, where the flames had already engulfed the kitchen and ceiling with smoke. Without knowing how fast it might spread, the officers evacuated everyone from the building and attempted to extinguish the fire. Despite not having the proper gear and inhaling a significant amount of smoke and fumes, the officers successfully put out the flames with six fire extinguishers borrowed from neighboring apartments.

Medics treated the officers on scene. Fortunately, no one was injured. One medic told the district commander, “The officers went over and beyond their duties without any formal training.”

Officer Christopher Clouse

Officer Christopher Clouse

Officer Brian Ramey

Officer Brian Ramey

Officer Kolin Kinder

Officer Kolin Kinder

Officer Jaime Thorn

Officer Jaime Thorn

Nominations for the Bulletin Notes should be based on either the rescue of one or more citizens or an arrest(s) made at unusual risk to an officer’s safety. Submissions should include a short write-up, a separate photograph of each nominee, and a letter from the department’s ranking officer endorsing the nomination. Submissions can be emailed to leb@fbi.gov.