Tuesday, October 16, 2007
every day,” he added.
Lytle, a township officer since 2001, chalked his actions up to good training.
“It’s the same training as other police officers have,” he said.
Gary Parker, president of the New York-based foundation, said between 15 and 20 such awards are presented annually across the country.
Berarducci contacted him to nominate the two patrolmen. A committee of business people from around the United States reviewed the nominations and agreed the officers’ actions deserved recognition, Parker said.
“It’s a way that we can show law enforcement officers that what they do is appreciated,” the foundation president said.
In a letter to Berarducci that accompanied the two plaques, Parker wrote that he carries a piece of paper in his wallet that bears the definition of hero: “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities, a man who is regarded as having heroic qualities and is considered model or ideal.”
“Officers Gocala and Lytle are heroes in every sense of the word,” Parker wrote.
Berarducci said the community needs to know what police officers do every day.
“Young men like this risk their likes every day to make things like this happen,” the police chief said.