Law Enforcement BPD July Officer of the Month

BRADENTON -- The Bradenton Police Department has named Master Patrol Officer Joshua Small as the Officer of the Month for July 2012.

In a written report, Sgt. Shane Shehorn described a late-night incident where MPO Small rescued a baby from what could have turned into a dangerous situation.

”His actions led to the location of an 8-month-old baby girl who was not being cared for,“ he wrote. ”MPO Small is directly responsible for the health and well-being of the baby and through his actions, he possibly prevented serious harm from taking place.“

According to Sgt. Shehorn, MPO Small was on patrol the evening of May 6 when he noticed a woman standing in front of a home yelling profanities. Sgt. Shehorn wrote that MPO Small could have simply asked the woman to quiet down and drove off, but instead, he went above and beyond the call of duty.

As he approached her, MPO Small noticed she was holding a butcher knife and appeared to be intoxicated. He got her to drop the weapon without incident then detained her. That’s when he noticed a baby bag near her with formula and new diapers. But there was no child nearby and the woman continued to be uncooperative.

After speaking with several people in the area, police learned that an 8-month-old baby was inside the nearby house. The woman had left the child inside while she was outside drinking heavily with friends. When officers entered the house they located the baby in a dark room without supervision, sitting unrestrained in a car carrier on top of a bed. The baby was dirty and hungry and a bottle had to be obtained from a nearby store so she could be fed.

”MPO Small went above and beyond in this case and he should be recognized his continued dedication to his profession,“ Sgt. Shehorn wrote.