River Bend Times

The city council of Bettendorf, Iowa recently recognized the achievements of some of its police officers.

During the Dec. 20 city council meeting, Bettendorf Police Chief Keith Kimball honored some of the officers for their recent achievements and awards.

"First up, Mayor, City Council. Thanks for all the support. This is just a great way to end the year," Keith said to the city council. "I am so blessed to work with [...] some of the greatest officers, men and women in law enforcement. They make my job easy and I can't thank them enough for what they do every day. They're taken for granted. I think we all take them for granted, but I will tell you that they are out there 24 hours a day doing the hard stuff, serving our citizens, putting their lives at risk. So this is just an honor and privilege for me to be able to stand up here and represent these officers."

Each officer was nominated by their peers in the department. Officer Brian Hanssen and Officer Dennis Tripp were brought up and given the Honorable Service Award for their actions in an attempted suicide situation in which they talked a man off the ledge of a bridge over the Mississippi river and brought him back to safety.

Officer Lance Wilden also received an Honorable Service Award for his actions back in March, when he responded to a call that an individual had collapsed and was receiving CPR. Officer Wilden immediately entered the building and cleared the space. Using the equipment he brought with him, he was able to sustain and revive the individual until he could be brought to the hospital where they saved his life.

Finally, Officer Neil Chapman was given the Honorable Service Award for his actions in response to a call about a drug overdose. Officer Chapman brought in all necessary equipment to the building and was able to administer Narcan and perform CPR to revive the subject, saving their life.