For valor, saving lives Officers honored
Russell Springs Police Chief Bryan Shepard, left, and Mayor Eddie Thomas, right, honored second from left, Brenton Llane, Mason Miniard, Clete McAninch, and Vance Davis for valor and lifesaving events this past weekend.
By Wade Daffron
TJ Editor
On a serene Sunday morning, members of the Russell Springs Police Department gathered for a meeting.
They talked of church, or the Christmas Parade the night before, as Mayor Eddie Thomas arrived, and Chief Bryan Shepard invited everyone to sit at a large conference table.
“You don’t do this for accolades, and I know that,” the police chief said. “Most of you don’t like to be bragged on.”
Shepard said there are “four instances throughout this year that I know about, and there’s others I may not know about” in which officers “went well above and beyond what is expected of them.”
The police chief and mayor took time to honor officers by presenting them with accolades.
Russell Springs K-9 Officer Vance Davis was recognized for his lifesaving efforts to save a “non-responsive” citizen at a local business.
“Vance started CPR…until EMS got there,” Shepard said. “He got her back.”
The citizen later passed away, Chief Shepard said, “but I’m hoping her family got to see her one last time.”
“That would not have been the case had he not done CPR on her,” he said.
Patrol Officer Mason Miniard responded to a call concerning a non-responsive juvenile.
“You got there…started CPR, EMS got there, and he’s still alive today,” Chief Shepard told Miniard as he acknowledged the lifesaving effort.
Two officers received Medals of Valor for their response and actions in a September shootout in which Russell County Deputy Sheriff Josh Phipps was killed in the line of duty.
Shepard said Patrol Officer Brenton Llane and SRO Clete McAninch responded to the scene and “in the face of danger…ran straight into the gunfire.”
“You knew what the circumstances were…and knew what needed to be done,” the police chief told the medal recipients.
Mayor Thomas expressed his appreciation to the police chief and police department.
“We love you and think the world of you,” he told those gathered at Joe Michael Irvin Police Station this past weekend. “I tell people anywhere I go I’ve got the best police department and the best fire department bar none. You all do a good job.”
Chief Shepard said he is proud of the entire department, and hopes to continue honoring them each year.
“I for sure want to recognize our people,” he said. “We know what this job can hold, we know the dangers of it.”
“You guys don’t get a lot of recognition,” he told the officers. “You get a lot of criticism, but you don’t get credit very often.”
