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.

Early one morning Officer Pat Hopkins and Corporal Brett Kikendall of the Gainesville, Florida, Police Department responded to a house fire. While en route, the officers learned of an individual trapped inside. Upon arrival, they saw flames at least 25-feet high emanating from the residence. The officers sprinted toward the blazing house and identified the back bedroom where the victim was reported to be. Corporal Kikendall lifted Officer Hopkins through the window, which was 4 feet from the ground. Struggling to breathe, Officer Hopkins located an adult with a disability trapped in the room and carried her from the bed to the window. Officer Hopkins handed her to Corporal Kikendall and Corporal Kevin Clinton, who had just arrived. Both Officer Hopkins and the victim received treatment for smoke inhalation and fully recovered. Because the fire damaged the family’s possessions, Corporal Kikendall and Officer Hopkins coordinated donations of small items and furniture to help the family. Officer Hopkins and Corporals Kikendall and Clinton have received numerous awards since the event, including the Florida Governor’s Medal of Heroism.


Officer Pat Hopkins, Corporal Brett Kikendall, and Corporal Kevin Clinton of the Gainesville, Florida Police Department together saved the life of an adult woman with a disability who was trapped in a house fire.

  Officer Hopkins

Officer Pat Hopkins, Corporal Brett Kikendall, and Corporal Kevin Clinton of the Gainesville, Florida Police Department together saved the life of an adult woman with a disability who was trapped in a house fire.

  Corporal Kikendall

Officer Pat Hopkins, Corporal Brett Kikendall, and Corporal Kevin Clinton of the Gainesville, Florida Police Department together saved the life of an adult woman with a disability who was trapped in a house fire.

  Corporal Clinton


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.