Officer Downing honored for his lifesaving efforts
BAINBRIDGE -- The Bainbridge Town Council and police department Wednesday honored Officer Mike Downing for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Awards were presented during the council's regular monthly meeting Wednesday to Officer Downing -- affectionately referred to as "Rambo" by his peers -- thanking him for the work done on two separate occasions.
Downing, 50, has been a merit deputy for close to seven years.
The first award referenced an incident on Feb. 24 when Downing was the first responder to a medical call in which an infant had stopped breathing. The child aspirated formula, and Downing recognized right away the child's pulse was rapid, which signified the child was not breathing.
Downing was able to clear the child's airway and performed light chest massages until medical personnel arrived on scene. The child was sent to Riley Children's Hospital.
During the presentation, councilman Chuck McElwee had to stop and take a breath before continuing with the ceremony as emotions overwhelmed him. He read from the plaque detailing Downing's service that night, which noted doctors credited him with saving the child's life.
Bainbridge Town Marshal Rodney Fenwick described the event as an act of God because just the night before officers had gone through a special CPR training class, which provided the officer with the knowledge of how to react if someone is not breathing.
"Everything was fresh in his mind and with good proficiency and the way that he handled it, he was able to save that child's life," Fenwick recalled.
Downing said he just did what the people of the community have entrusted him to do -- protect and serve. Downing said he enjoys knowing that child and family will be able to live a full life.
"Knowing he gets to grow up and play football, basketball, baseball, whatever. He made it through a very rough time. And to add to that, just to see the panic on the parents' faces when you first get there turn into relief on their face when they see life coming back to their young'un," Downing said.
The second award referenced a June 2014 incident in which Officer Downing was able to disable the vehicle of a suspect without causing physical harm.
Police responded to shots fired in Bainbridge, which then turned into a vehicle pursuit. The suspect refused to stop for police until eventually he was surround by officers in a field.
The subsequent standoff lasted two hours, until Downing made the decision to shoot out the tires of the vehicle making the suspect unable to continue fleeing from police, causing him to surrender.
Fenwick stressed the importance of highlighting the incredible acts of Officer Downing.
"Every once in a while there is an action that really makes a difference in what is going on. The night of the shooting, he made the choice to disable the vehicle instead of inflicting physical harm. He made a good choice," Fenwick said.
Looking back, Downing said these acts were among his calling and he will continue to strive to maintain the trust of the town and Putnam County.
"It's an honor to serve the community, and it's an honor to know they instill their trust in me," Downing said. "I've got a very important job to do and I like to do my job well."
Fenwick said all too often police are portrayed as the bad guys, but most are putting their lives on the line for the communities they serve.
"Considering the times, you see a lot of negativity. This is an important situation to show we do care for our officers, they are important to us and people need to realize without them we would be in anarchy," Fenwick stressed.