The Citizens Appreciate Public Service, or CAPS Awards, honor police employees who have demonstrated excellence over the past year.
At this year’s event, several officers were recognized for their service, including Ryan Suthard, who received a lifesaving award when he rescued someone from a traffic accident on his way home from work.
“When I got there, there was a male laid out in the parking lot – he was unconscious, there was no heartbeat, no breathing,” said Suthard. “So I immediately performed CPR on him.”
Medal of Valor
Officer Jordan Koziel received multiple awards during the evening for his role in a January incident involving an armed gunman. His greatest award was the Medal of Valor.
“It feels like an honor. It’s a privilege to receive this,” he said. “There’s so many men and women in there that are deserving of all of these awards. So for me to get something like this is really an honor when it could go to any of these guys and girls.”
George Pradel Award
The biggest honor of the night went to Officer Martin Franken, who was given the George Pradel Award for Service.
CAPS will host its awards honoring Naperville’s Fire Department in the Fall.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
