To many, the actions that New York State Trooper Thomas Gallery took during an arrest on Jan. 7, 2015 were courageous, admirable and heroic, but in his eyes, he was just doing what he had been trained to do.
Recently, Gallery received several accolades for his ability to perform exemplary work during that incident, including the New York State Troopers Superintendent’s Commendation Award, the Onondaga County Gold Seal Award and a proclamation and certificate of appreciation from the Village of East Syracuse.
On that day in 2015, Gallery responded to a residence in Central Square to assist State Police Investigator Charlotte Yeardon with the arrest of a subject, when the subject attempted to inflict harm on himself with a kitchen knife. Gallery tackled the suspect as he was stabbing himself in the neck and he received deep lacerations to his left hand from the knife in the process. Gallery disengaged and used his taser to disable the subject who was then taken into custody.
“It’s very humbling,” said Gallery. “I was at the right place at the right time and was lucky to have been able to use my training to keep the situation under control.”
Gallery has been a member of the New York State Police for nine years and lives in East Syracuse with his wife Kay and their five children.
In May 2016, Gallery was honored at the annual New York State Police Annual Awards Day Ceremony in Albany with a NYS Troopers Superintendent’s Commendation Award.
And on June 29, East Syracuse Mayor Robert Tackman and former mayor and current Onondaga County Legislator Danny Liedka surprised Gallery during the first concert of the summer concert series at Ellis Park.
“Many of us get up every day, we go to work, we come home, we come to our parks, we enjoy our families and our friends and we’re all safe. We know if takes people in our community to step up to the call when needed, and Tom is a great example of this,” said Tackman, who issued a village proclamation recognizing June 29, 2016 “Trooper Thomas A. Gallery Appreciation Day.”
Additionally, Tackman presented Gallery with a certificate of appreciation from the village for his participation in the 100 Mile Law Enforcement Memorial Run, an event which honors members of law enforcement groups who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Here we have a community member who kisses his wife and family every night and goes out and risks his life and does his job for our safety,” said Liedka, who presented Gallery with an Onondaga County Gold Seal Award. “People like this are who we should be emulating. They are the heroes in our community.”
