Kennesaw State police officers honored for saving life of Cobb County sheriff’s deputy
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (May 22‚ 2007) — Two Kennesaw State University police officers were honored Tuesday…
Georgia (May 22, 2007) — Kennesaw State police officers honored for saving life of Cobb County sheriff’s deputy
Jeremy Craig
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fharris4@kennesaw.edu
Writer: Jeremy Craig‚ 770−499−3448 or jcraig19@kennesaw.edu
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (May 22‚ 2007) — Two Kennesaw State University police officers were
honored Tuesday for coming to the aid of a fellow law enforcement officer in dire
medical need last autumn.
Officers Matthew Fisher and Mary Forman were honored at the annual Law Enforcement
Appreciation Day luncheon of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASIS International‚ held
at Cobb Galleria Center.
For their actions this past fall‚ Fisher was named as the recipient of the George
Davis Memorial Award‚ honoring the organization’s police officer of the year. Forman
was given an honorable mention.
“I am really honored to receive this award‚ but this is something that any of us would
have done on any given day‚” Fisher said.
On Sept. 27‚ 2006‚ an off−duty Cobb County sheriff’s deputy who was driving in a parking
lot on the eastern part of the KSU campus suffered a critical drop in his blood sugar
level‚ causing him to become unresponsive.
His vehicle struck five other vehicles in the parking lot‚ and remained in gear. Forman
ordered Fisher to break a passenger−side window of the deputy’s vehicle‚ and Fisher
entered — while the vehicle was still in motion — placing himself at risk of serious
injury.
Fisher put the vehicle in park and turned off the ignition‚ after which Forman attempted
to administer first aid. Cobb Fire and Rescue arrived shortly thereafter to respond
to the emergency‚ and advised KSU officers that the deputy’s blood sugar was at a
dangerously low reading of 20.
If the KSU officers had not come to the aid of the Cobb County deputy when they did‚
the deputy might have died‚ said Kemper Anderson‚ assistant director of the KSU Department
of Public Safety.
Only after the emergency had ended did the officers realize that they themselves were
injured: Fisher suffered numerous cuts to his arms from broken glass‚ as did Forman’s
hands.
Fisher has served as a KSU public safety officer since August 2005. Forman joined
the department in 2000 as a dispatcher‚ and became a public safety officer with KSU
in 2002.
Kennesaw State University’s police department fields a fully−certified‚ well−trained
force of 26 sworn officers.
ASIS International is a preeminent international organization for professionals responsible
for security‚ including managers and directors of security. In addition‚ corporate
executives and other management personnel‚ as well as consultants‚ architects‚ attorneys‚
and federal‚ state‚ and local law enforcement‚ work with ASIS to better understand
the constant changes in security issues and solutions.
For more about the Kennesaw State University police department‚ visit http://www.kennesaw.edu/police/.
For more information about Tuesday’s awards‚ please contact the writer of this news
release.
ONLINE PRESS KIT:
Publication−quality photos are available of Fisher and Forman receiving the award
at https://files.kennesaw.edu/staff/jcraig19/MediaGraphics/Matt%20Fisher.jpg and https://files.kennesaw.edu/staff/jcraig19/MediaGraphics/Mary%20Forman.jpg.
Each officer is pictured with Anne Gibbons‚ chair of Law Enforcement Appreciation
Day with the Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASIS International. Please credit Steve Thackston‚
Kennesaw State University.
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A member of the 35−unit University System of Georgia‚ Kennesaw State University is
a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing student population approaching
20‚000 from 132 countries. The third−largest university in Georgia‚ Kennesaw State
offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚ including a new doctorate
in education.
MORE NEWS…
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
