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 afternoon, a pickup truck pulling a trailer was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of an interstate. Sergeant Chad McCoy of the Utah Highway Patrol was driving westbound while unaware of the approaching wrong-way vehicle due to being on a radio channel different from local dispatch.
As Sergeant McCoy observed vehicles quickly moving to the right from the left lane, he also saw the truck traveling at a high rate of speed directly toward him. Sergeant McCoy immediately activated his emergency lights and siren, reduced his speed while maneuvering in front of the truck, and shielded the traffic behind him.
Sergeant McCoy struck the vehicle nearly head-on in a manner that pushed it away from approaching traffic. Almost simultaneously, he was hit in the rear by another driver traveling closely behind him. Without a doubt, Sergeant McCoy prevented the truck from having a head-on collision with multiple innocent drivers.
Immediately following the crash, Sergeant McCoy checked the driver of the truck for injuries, set up security, identified witnesses, and managed the crash scene until other officers responded. Only after everyone was safe from harm was Sergeant McCoy willing to be evaluated by medical personnel. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper took him to a local hospital as a precaution, and the driver of the truck was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Sergeant Chad McCoy
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.