Officers Receive 2023 Awards at Employee Appreciation Event

SHENANDOAH, TX -- The City of Shenandoah hosted this year's annual Employee Appreciation Event at Main Event. Shenandoah Police Department Chief Troye Dunlap presented awards to five officers for their performance over the last twelve months.

Officer Eric Bauer was presented the Patrol Officer of the Year award for his excellent efforts in the patrol division. Detective Jeremy Thompson was presented the Service Award for his outstanding work on criminal investigations and several support services duties, including coordinating the department's firearms training program. Sgt. Cedric McDuffie earned the Leadership Award for his extraordinary application of leadership as a patrol supervisor. He also spearheaded the establishment of the department's Honor Guard program and serves as its supervisor.

Officers David Swetnam and Jim Abair were both presented with Life Saving Awards for their valiant actions taken on June 22, 2023. At about 2:30 p.m., Officer Swetnam approached what appeared to be a stalled vehicle on the I-45 southbound service road near St. Luke's Hospital. He learned a 39-year-old female passenger did not have a heartbeat and wasn't breathing. Officer Swetnam removed the female from the passenger seat, laid her on the ground, and started administering CPR after calling for a medical response. Officer Abair arrived shortly after, and they worked as a team doing CPR for about thirty (30) minutes along with fire department personnel. The patient was transported to a local hospital. Later that day, Officer Abair learned the female regained a heartbeat and had shown brain activity at the hospital.

Four days later, Officers Swetnam and Abair went to visit the patient. They first met with the nurses and were told that had it not been for them starting CPR so early, she would not have survived. When they went into her room, she was conscious and able to have a conversation. The officers gave a brief synopsis of what occurred the day they came to her aid. She then requested to take a picture with them (using her phone) and thanked them for what they did.

Chief Dunlap is proud of the efforts of all of these officers and their tremendous contributions to their community and the department.

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