Dubuque Times

The Dubuque City Council discussed their first responders and their annual celebrations during a meeting held on March 6.

The Dubuque Police Department held its second annual awards and recognition ceremony at the end of January, in which officers and their families are invited to celebrate and receive awards in categories such as outstanding investigative work, life-saving efforts and being injured in the line of duty. The Council watched the DPD's minute-long video on the topic and moved the file into their city documents.

22 police officers received special awards throughout 2022. Most of them were awarded certificates of merit, which are recognitions of efforts above and beyond the normal line of duty. Several certificates were given to school resource officers (SROs) who ran a police and youth summer camp and have been building relationships with local students. Four life-saving awards were given to officers who performed life-saving CPR on a citizen. Other officers were recognized for, among other actions, implementing the DPD's K9 program, conducting a human trafficking investigation, apprehending a particularly dangerous suspect and getting injured while apprehending a suspect.

"Well, I know we got a chance to talk about that a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad that it was recorded for posterity's sake, too, and to be able to show everybody that and be able to have that video to highlight the event itself," said Mayor Brad Cavanagh. "It was just such a wonderful thing that the police department is doing. So thank you very much for sharing that with us."

The Dubuque Fire Department also presented a video highlighting its eight-week firefighter academy. The two-minute video also featured the DFD's newest recruit undergoing several training tasks such as taking their equipment on and off as quickly as possible, exercising in the equipment, learning proper fire safety procedures and being trained in CPR and first aid. One of the 11 recruits spoke about how excited he was to bond with his fellow firefighters and serve the Dubuque community.