SCPD Celebrates Promotion, Lifesaving Awards at Council Meeting

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Police Department celebrated a promotion and a saved life at Monday’s city council meeting.

Community Service Officers Megan Moore and David Hirdler, along with Officer Scott Wenshau were presented Lifesaving Awards by Chief Jeffrey Oxton. During the presentation, he said the two CSOs were delivering squad cars to a repair shop when they noticed a man was slumped behind the steering wheel of a vehicle in the middle of the road, not breathing. He was having a bad reaction to narcotics.

They pulled him out and laid him on the street when Wenshau, who was off-duty, arrived to help. Wenshau performed CPR while Moore and Hirdler went to the repair shop to retrieve a defibrillator and Narcan from one of the vehicles they had just dropped off.

The Narcan reversed the overdose and the man made a full recovery. Oxton praised the situational awareness and quick thinking of all three people. He said that CSOs are not trained for medical emergencies and Wenshau did not have access to necessary equipment since he was off-duty in his personal vehicle. The incident happened on February 21st at about 8:30 a.m.

The promotion concerned Lori Ellering. She was originally announced as the new commander of operations at the State of the City address in April. She took the oath for the position early in the meeting, being sworn in by Mayor Dave Kleis.

Ellering is a graduate of Saint Cloud State University and now teaches criminal justice at the school as well as in Alexandria at the technical college. She has been with the SCPD for 27 years.

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