Four Bristol officers were presented with awards at a recent Bristol Police Commission meeting.
According to a press release from the Bristol Police Department, Officers Greg Lattanzio, Eric Hanson, Conor Hogan and Dan Dwyer all received the Letter of Commendation and Officer of the Month awards.
Every year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving reaches out to police departments with a request for the names of two officers who have helped the group’s mission to end drunk driving. These officers are honored at a statewide MADD recognition ceremony.
Bristol Police Department records show that Dwyer and Hogan were two officers with the largest number of DUI arrests last year. Both officers were chosen to represent the police department at the 30th Annual Law Enforcement Recognition ceremony on May 24.
On March 25, Hanson and Lattanzio responded to a South Street home to assist an ambulance after a woman was reported to be having difficulty breathing for unknown reasons. The woman was found in the upstairs bedroom where her boyfriend was holding her. Hanson learned that the boyfriend found her lying unconscious in the bedroom when he returned home.
Hanson conducted an initial assessment on the woman, noting that her breathing was labored. When he initially entered the home, Hanson noticed an overwhelming odor of what smelled like gasoline, and began to feel the effects of gaseous fumes after a short time inside. At this point, Lattanzio arrived on the scene, checking the home for any further victims and/or the cause of the fumes. The fire department also was requested.
Finding no other victims and recognizing that the air quality of the home was unsafe, Hanson and Lattanzio brought the woman outside where they provided medical aid and administered oxygen to her until an ambulance arrived. The woman regained consciousness after receiving medical care, and was eventually sent to Bristol Hospital for further treatment.
Before the fire department arrived, it was found that the woman left her vehicle running in the garage until it ran out of gas. As a result, carbon monoxide fumes infiltrated the home. Although the Fire Department used a meter to measure the concentration of carbon monoxide, the level was so high that it did not register on the meter.
Hanson and Lattanzio also started to feel ill themselves due to the high level of carbon monoxide, and were treated. They reported headaches and feeling light-headed and sick to their stomachs.