CICERO — The Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police presented recognition awards to 37 law enforcement officials at a ceremony Oct. 4 at Bistro 1926 located at Drumlins County Club in DeWitt, with over 220 people were in attendance.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to recognize the efforts of law enforcement officers, deputies and troopers who performed their patrol or investigative duties and protected the community in exemplary ways,” said CNYACOP President and Cicero Police Chief Steve Rotunno.
Among those honored were three officers of the Town of Cicero Police Department.
Law Enforcement Commendation
The Law Enforcement Commendation is awarded for outstanding police work in the areas of investigations or patrol services.
On Dec. 29, 2019, Officer Daniel Leneker and other Cicero police units were dispatched to a suicide attempt. According to the notes on the call, the female victim had sent a text message to her son advising him that she wanted to end her life. Upon Leneker’s arrival to the residence, he observed that there was an occupied vehicle in the garage and it was running. Leneker found that all doors to the house and garage were locked.
Realizing the need for immediate intervention, Leneker kicked the back door to the garage in and yelled to the occupant of the vehicle, who appeared to be unconscious. As Leneker approached the running the vehicle, the female lifted her head up and exited the vehicle. Officer Leneker took the key from the female and assisted her in exiting the garage that was filled with carbon monoxide.
Upon further investigation, police were advised that the woman had her son leave the house, so he wasn’t there when she tried to take her own life. Officer Leneker’s quick actions are a direct correlation to the survival of the female victim who was experiencing and emotional event and made an attempt on her own life.
Also receiving the Law Enforcement Commendation were Officer John Cottrell, Officer James Kazmirski, and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputies Jeffery Tomion, Robyn Stark and Jeffrey Neal.
On Nov. 16, 2020, at approximately 10:53 p.m., Cottrell and Kazmirski were dispatched to 6027 Gillette Road for a missing endangered elderly woman with dementia. Police determined the woman had left the residence.
They initiated a search of the area with the assistance of Tomion, Stark, Neal and his K9, and the Air One helicopter. Approximately an hour after the initial dispatch, police personnel found the elderly woman behind a residence located at 5960 Gillette Road. The elderly female was laying in the cat-tails in about a foot of water, wet from head to toe and visibly cold. Out of concern for hypothermia, Tomion and Kazmirski raised the female out of the water and assisted her over to Cottrell’s patrol vehicle where she was transported back to her residence to await EMS arrival.
EMS assessed the woman and found her to be in good health. She was released to her family.
The quick action and teamwork between Officer Cottrell, Officer Kazmirski, Deputy Tomion, Deputy Stark, Deputy Neal and Air One clearly prevented serious injury or death of this elderly woman.
Life Saving Award
Cicero PD Officer John Cottrell also received the Town of Cicero Life Saving Award for his life-saving actions while off duty and on vacation with his family in Hawaii.
Officer Cottrell’s wife, Elizabeth Cottrell, recounted the story in an email to Chief Rotunno:
“On the morning of Aug. 18, our family was on the beach outside of our hotel in Honolulu. We heard a disturbance in the water, and multiple people were yelling for others to call 911. As an elderly man was being pulled from the Duke Kahanmoku Lagoon, John ran … to see if he could help.
“The gentleman was unresponsive. John assessed that man’s lungs were filled with water and that he did not have a pulse. He placed him on his side and was able to expel the excess fluid. He then began chest compressions. Being such a heavily populated area, it did seem to take a longer amount of time for more first responders to get there. John continued chest compressions and was able to get the gentleman’s heart started again.
“According to the man’s family, he was in his 70s and has Parkinson’s Disease.
“We heard from hotel security a few days later that the man was in stable condition in the hospital.
“So even though it’s ‘all part of the job,’ I just wanted you to know that John was still able to represent your department and save a man’s life … even in Hawaii.”
