By C1 Staff
CHICAGO — An officer with the Lake County Jail has been named ‘Correctional Officer of the Year’ after his quick actions saved the life of an inmate attempting to commit suicide.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Correctional Officers Timothy Namovicz and Robert Kenyon were attracted back to a cell pod after inmates banged on the walls. They saw blood and reacted instantly.
One of the inmates had slit his wrists using a razor that inmates were assigned every day for shaving. The inmate had a previous history of mental health issues but had not been showing suicidal tendencies at the time and was not under suicide watch.
Namovicz had pressure dressings in his vest and quickly applied them to the inmate’s wounds. He and Kenyon continued first aid until the local fire department and paramedics could arrive.
“We are all very proud that a life was saved,” Corrections Chief Dave Wathen said. “That’s what this job is all about.”
Namovicz will be honored March 30 at the Sheriff’s association’s winter training conference in Peoria.
The inmate is now back in a mental health center.