The Round Lake Park Village Board honored a police officer for how he handled a potential suicide last month.
Three-year veteran police Officer Walter Rodriguez was given the Exceptional Duty Medal Tuesday night for his actions on Nov. 20 when he received information that there was a person threatening suicide at a local business.
According to Police Chief George Filenko, Rodriguez and another officer found the person’s vehicle outside the business and, once inside, they found a man holding a gun to his head and threatening to kill himself.
“Through Officer Rodriguez’s quick action and intervention, he convinced the subject to disarm himself eliminating the threat and de-escalating a potentially deadly situation,” Filenko said.
The chief said that Rodriguez did have scenario-based interactive training that deals with such a situation.
“The countywide initiative driven by the Sheriffs Office is key in developing advance skill sets, and provides officers with the training to recognize and deal with a variety of mental health issues. We are sending all of our officers through the class,” the chief said, referring to Crisis Intervention Team classes for which the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a grant.
The 40-hour training certifies a person as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) member, and the Sheriff’s Office received a $250,000 grant from the Federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. This marks the fourth time it has offered the classes.
“By changing what we do changes outcomes that can be negative,” Undersheriff Ray Rose said. “This investment will save a lot of grief and concern over time.”
Twitter @abderholden
