Acts of valor are a common occurrence in our profession. Every year throughout our correctional facilities officers perform great acts of courage, usually under extreme conditions and without recognition for their efforts and sense of personal safety. All too often, these acts of heroism are overlooked, and unfortunately never given recognition by the general public, the media, their departments, and regrettably their own unions.

In our continuous efforts to keep our corrections professionals at the forefront of the Law Enforcement occupation, we formed the American Correctional Officer Medal Of Honor Award distinguishing those officers who have performed selflessly and without regard for danger to themselves in performing their everyday duties.  The 2008 winners are:

Correction Officer Elizabeth O’Campo

Ironwood State Prison, California

     Officer O'Campo (D Facility Utility Officer) entered D Facility Building Three in order to deliver paperwork to the unit floor officers. As she entered she observed Officer J. Rivera engaged in conversation with several Southern Hispanic Inmates, as she neared Officer Rivera's location the Southern Hispanic inmate attacked Officer Rivera with a weapon. As Rivera was falling to the ground Officer O'Campo pulled her baton out and began to strike the attacking inmate.

     When Officer Rivera went to the ground on the attacking inmate, approximately nine more inmates entered into the attack. Many of the inmates were striking and kicking Officer Rivera about his body and head. Officer O’Campo, while striking the inmates with her baton, came under attack by some of the inmates, She would fended off their attack and returned to defend Officer Rivera.

     Officer Stone who was in the office exited and was struck with a trash can on the face and knocked to the ground semiconscious. Officer O’Campo began to help Officer Stone by fending off his attackers with her baton.

     Officer O’Campo was fighting off her attackers and when she could she would defend Officer Stone and Rivera. Officer Stone was able to utilize his O.C. Pepper Spray but was unable to accurately spray and he exposed Officer O’Campo to the spray. Officer O’Campo fought through this and continued her response to the inmates attack on staff.

     Officer O’Campo was struck repeatedly on the upper torso, face, and head. She sustained hemorrhaging to her brain from the brutal attack. Officer O’Campo was able to identify a majority of the inmates involved. She requested to view the video schematic of the inmates that were on the dayroom floor and was able to identify approximately seven more inmates.

     Officer O’Campo was instrumental in helping identify and prosecute these inmates.

Lt. Patrick Matzen

Sgt. Umberto Silva Jr.

Sgt. Michael Slankard

Officer Steve Cacciola

California Correctional Institution, California

 

     On April 3, 2008, at approximately 1304 hours two inmates armed with inmate-manufactured weapons entered the Unit IVA Program Office, of a maximum-security, general population yard to carry out a planned attack against correctional staff members.

     Correctional Lieutenant Patrick Matzen, Correctional Sergeant Michael Slankard, Correctional Sergeant Umberto Silva Jr., and Correctional Officer Steve Cacciola occupied the Program Office.

     Officer Cacciola was the first staff member stabbed by the inmates, as they rushed into the office. Sergeant Slankard immediately rushed to Officer Cacciola’s aid and began to subdue the inmate. Sergeant Slankard was stabbed in the neck area but over came his injuries and continued to use physical force to gain control of his attacker.

     Officer Cacciola was momentarily knocked to the floor but was able to recover and immediately render aid to Sergeant Standard. Officer Cacciola used physical force to assist Sergeant Slankard in gaining control of his attacker despite his injuries. Officer Cacciola was able to pull the assailant off of Sergeant Slankard and force him to the ground as the assailant was stabbing Sergeant Slankard.

     The other inmate stabbed Sergeant Silva repeatedly throughout his face, head and torso. Despite these injuries Sergeant Silva fought for his life against the attacking inmate.

     Lieutenant Matzen immediately risked his own safety, to defend his fellow officers, and first went to aid Sergeant Silva.  Seeing that an inmate was attacking Sergeant Slankard with a weapon he went to assist him.  Once the inmate was under control he returned to assist Sergeant Silva.

     Lieutenant Matzen utilized his expandable baton and OC Pepper Spray to bring an end to the attack.

     It was later determined that both inmates used stabbing weapons during the attack. Two inmate weapons were recovered at the crime scene. The injured staff members were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

 

Officer Richard Morales

Souza-Baranoski Correctional Center, Massachussetts

 

     On 2/1 1/08 at approximately 12:37pm Officer Richard Morales had released the M-1 housing unit for chow and believed it to be empty so he began a security round of the unit.

     On reaching cell M1-08, which houses inmate Hernandez, the inmate rushed out of the cell and stabbed Officer Morales in the left ear with a sharp object and struck him in the face with his fist. He then started saying, ''Take that you fucking asshole. I'm going to kill you”.

     Officer Morales backed away and gave inmate Hernandez several orders to put down the weapon which he ignored. Inmate Hernandez then continued to assault Officer Morales aggressively, swinging the weapon and punching at the Officer. Officer Morales took him to the ground and attempted to remove his weapon to prevent him from further assault. The inmate had fastened the weapon to his wrist with pieces of torn cloth, making it impossible for the officer to removed the weapon.

     During this struggle Officer Morales’ radio was knocked loose and fell to the floor where the battery became detached. This rendered it inoperable and he was unable to activate his body alarm or call for help.

     At this point Officer Morales removed himself from inmate Hernandez and proceeded to the Officer's Station to active the alarm on the GUI computer panel, Inmate Hernandez stood up and pursued him yelling, “Come on, stop being a bitch, I'm going to kill you before your fucking friends come and try to save you.” Inmate Hernandez was given several more direct orders to stop and put down the weapon. In response he reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a razorblade. He then assaulted Officer Morales by stabbing him with the weapon and slashing him with the razor blade multiple times.

     During this renewed assault Officer Morales noticed that the response team was at the unit door and yelled to them that the inmate had weapons in his hands. The team then entered the unit and brought the inmate to the ground. Officer Morales was ordered to leave the area for medical treatment and had no further contact.

 

 

Correction Officer Chad L. Yarborough

Union Correctional Institution, Florida

     At approximately 1520 hours, on April17, 2008, Officer C.L. Yarborough was on duty in D Dormitory of the Southwest Unit at Union Correctional Institution.  Officer Yarborough was attempting to have inmate “A” submit to a pat search for contraband.  Another inmate called out Officer Yarborough’s name, which distracted him momentarily.  Officer Yarborough looked back in time to see inmate “A” rushing towards him with an ink pen in his raised hand. Inmate “A” struck Officer Yarborough in his left eye with the ink pen and caused numerous other lacerations to Officer Yarborough’ head and face.  Officer Yarborough began fighting for his life.  During this lengthy struggle, Officer Yarborough was almost completely blind, however, through tumbling downstairs and rolling around on concrete floors, Officer Yarborough managed to wrap himself around inmate “A” and pin him on the floor, virtually stopping the attach until assistance arrived.

 

Officer Jeremy Welch

Lansin Correctional Facility, Kansas

     On July 3, 2007 Lansing Correctional Facility Storekeeper, Pam Bonner, was seriously attacked by an inmate assailant.  CO Jeremy Welch performed an outstanding act of heroism that very likely helped save Pam’s life.  While working at his post at Fire Gate, CO Welch heard yelling from the direction of the Maximum Unit Canteen and immediately went to investigate.  There CO Welch found Storekeeper Lionel Barsley wrestling with an inmate and observed Storekeeper Pam Bonner bleeding severely from multiple wounds.  Officer Welch immediately called an alarm over the radio and then took charge of the situation.  Officer Welch quickly instructed the other inmates to unlock the door so he could gain access to the canteen and then immediately insured Storekeeper Bonner was taken to the maximum clinic for medical treatment. Once Officer Welch was sure she was safe, he went to the aid of Storekeeper Lionel Barley in subduing and restraining the inmate assailant.

     By staying calm, assessing the situation, and making life changing decisions in a crisis situation, Officer Welch helped save the life of one employee and then went to the aid of the second employee.  His quick actions, levelheaded decision-making and willingness to put himself in harm’s way are in keeping with the highest tradition of law enforcement. 

 

Officer Daniel L. Callahan

Nassau County Correction Center, New York

    On Monday, February 05, 2007. At approximately 1620 hours an inmate had broken the ceiling in his room in the prison ward room when officer Scheffer opened his room.  The inmate removed a 12 inch piece of metal from the ceiling and attacked Officer Scheffer.

     Officer Daniel Callahan was patrolling the “Medical Hallway”, and heard the commotion, and immediately responded to the incident.  Both Officer fought off the inmate’s attack with the 12 inch piece of metal, and tried to wrestle the inmate to the ground.  Not until additional officers responded to the scene was the violent inmate able to be subdued, and handcuffed, and leg shackled.