CSEA members James F. Prusak Jr, Stephanie A. Ingles, and Karl E. Zufall are given proclamations from NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan after receiving the Attica Police Department’s Medal of Valor. Photos: Ove Overmyer, CSEA ©2017.
ATTICA — The Village of Attica Police Department is not your ordinary public safety unit—on any given day they are required to do extraordinary things. And on February 2, Chief Dean Hendershott held an awards ceremony to honor outstanding accomplishments for their work in the line of duty.
Hendershott said, “Today, we’re here to honor my officers. They have gone above and beyond several times and they need to be publicly recognized for their bravery and professionalism.”
The police department has a full time staff of three personnel and nine CSEA part time officers, and serves a population of 3,000 residents who live in a 2.5 square mile area. The village sits within two counties, Wyoming and Genesee in Western New York.
Hendershott explained there were three types of awards that are given to village employees and upstanding citizens– the Merit of Accommodation, a Distinguished Service Award and the Medal of Valor. The latter is the most prestigious award for an officer to receive, and its one Hendershott himself received while serving as an officer earlier in his career.
Officer Stephanie A. Ingles was given a proclamation from NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan after receiving the Attica Police Department’s Medal of Valor on Feb. 2.
The first officer honored with the Medal of Valor was Stephanie Ingles. Ingles responded to a call without backup where one man was unresponsive following an opiate overdose. She had the other person at the scene assist her in performing CPR until the fire department and EMS arrived to administer Narcan. The patient has fully recovered, and is reportedly doing very well.
Hendershott said that Wyoming County Director of Emergency Management Tony Santoro commented on Ingles at the time of the incident saying how her “quick and decisive actions, which on all accounts prevented a heroin overdose from being a fatality.”
The second officer to receive the Medal of Valor was James Prusak Jr. for saving a suicidal man. Prusak arrived at the scene where a man had hung himself with an electric cord from a tree in the man’s backyard. Prusak lowered the man to the ground by cutting the cord and begin lifesaving measures.
“Without the immediate and direct intervention by Officer Prusak, the victim would have succumbed to his attempt and would have perished,” Hendershott said.
The third CSEA represented recipient of the Medal of Valor was Karl Zufall. Zufall was responding to a call of a man with a severe laceration to his leg. It was determined that the man’s trailer had fallen of a rig while he was trying to connect it to his vehicle. The wound cut open an artery and the victim immediately went into shock. Hendershott said Zufall applied a pressure dressing and bandage in an attempt to save the man, who died a week later from his injuries.
However, Hendershott explained, “Due to Officer Zufall’s lifesaving measures, the victim survived the day which allowed his family members precious time to gather and have time to say goodbye,” Hendershott said.
State Senator Patrick Gallivan was also in attendance, who served as a state trooper and Erie County sheriff earlier in his career. He openly blushed at the accomplishments of the police officers who were being awarded at the ceremony.
“I am in my seventh year in the Senate right now, and I will tell you this is the first award ceremony for law enforcement that I’ve been to out in the district,” he said.
The senator presented the three Medal of Valor winners with a NYS Senate proclamation and stated, “Those dedicated public servants, who unselfishly devote their lives to the preservation of order and the protection of others, are worthy of dutiful praise for their commitment and noble endeavors.”
After the ceremony, Ingles said being recognized for just doing her job is great, but remained modest in her observations. She said, “We do the best we can and rely on our training to get us through our day. It’s a great feeling to know you can help save a life—that is what we are trained to do.”
The recipients of the Merit of Accommodation were Prusak and Zachary Fleiss. Police Officer Gregory Kellogg also received the Distinguished Service Award.
-Ove Overmyer
The Village of Attica employs nine CSEA represented public safety officers. An awards ceremony was held at village hall on Feb. 2.
