Bulletin Notes

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. 

On September 19, 2010, Chief Vincent Carlone of the New Shoreham Police Department in Block Island, Rhode Island responded to a call for a capsized vessel with two people clinging to the hull. Earlier, Hurricane Igor generated huge swells that rolled the boat more than 1,000 feet off shore. Upon arrival at the scene, Chief Carlone donned his diving gear, grabbed a rescue buoy, and entered the dangerous surf. He navigated his way through boulders, crashing waves, and surging whitewater to find the two fishermen. When Chief Carlone reached them, he handed the rescue buoy to one man and swam back into the ocean with the other man in tow. A nearby boat picked them up, so the chief returned for the second fisherman and repeated the rescue process. Then, a harbor master brought the group back to Block Island, and an ambulance transported the men to a local medical center where they received treatment for hypothermia and other minor injuries. Chief Carlone’s prompt action and strong physical stamina averted a potentially disastrous event.

Chief Vincent Carlone of the New Shoreham Police Department in Block Island, Rhode Island rescued two men who were clinging to the hull of their capsized vessel following a hurricane. Carlone was a Bulletin Notes recipient in April 2011.

Chief Carlone


Officer Jeffrey Holtz of the Bridgeport, Connecticut Police Department rescued a woman from a residence fully engulfed in flames. Holtz was a Bulletin Notes recipient in April 2011.

Officer Holtz

While on patrol, Officer Jeffrey Holtz of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Police Department encountered a three-family residence fully engulfed in flames. After he learned that a victim remained trapped in an apartment on the third floor, Officer Holtz entered the burning building immediately. Battling excessive smoke inhalation, he made his way to a second-floor landing and assisted the victim down from her window with the help of a neighbor.


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 should be sent to the Editor, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA 22135.