Bruce Laycock helped out when an out-of-control man attacked police officers and risked injuring patients at the UC Davis Medical Center last summer.
For his act of courage, Laycock received recognition Jan. 30 along with 19 other university employees and area residents at the 11th annual Citizens Appreciation Awards Ceremony. The luncheon was held by the UC Davis Police Department at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.
Laycock's story took place July 15, 2003, when the UC Davis Police Department responded to a fight started by an "extremely violent subject," as Laycock's nomination form describes it, at the Medical Center. When UC Davis officers John Pike and Michael Mason arrived, the man punched them both in the face and jaw. He then hit another officer, Javier Barragan, in the head. At this time, Laycock, an emergency room technician, was able to pull the man away from the officers.
But the assailant continued to struggle with officers, moving dangerously close to an ill patient. Laycock stood near a gurney to protect the patient. As the fight continued with all three officers, Laycock called for backup. Finally, the person was restrained and detained. This was not the only time that Laycock helped out in emergency room altercations, his nomination form notes.
Other appreciation award winners include:
Brian Rush -- On March 15, 2003, a serious traffic collision on Highway 113 on the overpass to Eastbound I-80 caused a 17-year-old man to fall more than 50 feet to the highway below, seriously injuring himself. Seeing the man, Davis resident Rush climbed down the embankment and offered aid to him until the emergency team arrived.
Don Perkins -- On Aug. 20, 2003, an armed and dangerous suspect phoned his girlfriend and threatened to drive over to her place and kill her. Police were notified. When campus officer Dennis Guthrie pulled him over and attempted to question him, the suspect fled. Perkins, a tow truck driver in the vicinity, spotted the suspect walking through the Solano Park Apartments into the Arboretum. After calling the dispatch operator, Perkins then made sure to keep the suspect in his sight until he was taken into custody.
Al Velasquez -- On July 18, 2003, Al Velasquez was driving past the Medical Center when he spied something suspicious -- two subjects crouched down and trying to undo the lock on an electric scooter. Velasquez, who works for the environmental services department at the Medical Center, remembered seeing one of the subjects the previous day in the same area. He quickly called the UC Davis Police Department. Sgt. Paul Henoch arrived and both suspects were taken into custody.
Marty Gothard -- Gothard, a manager in food and nutrition services, helped prepare and deliver Thanksgiving meals to 13 families staying at the Ronald McDonald House for both the 2002 and 2003 holidays. Officer Christina Wiley nominated Gothard, crediting his generosity to families in need as exemplifying the mission of every police officer -- "to protect and to serve."
Michael Person -- While the UC Davis Police Department last year was embarking on efforts to improve security at the Medical Center, telecommunications superintendent Person led the charge to get existing alarm systems turned on. He was also instrumental in the addition of security cameras in and around the Emergency Department and in making those views available to the Dispatch Center in Davis. Now, surveillance cameras at the Med Center can be viewed by the Police Department from any computer with the ability to store digital data.
Frank Dupree -- On Aug. 1, 2003, Dupree contacted the UC Davis Police Department when he noticed someone using another person's personal information to receive treatment at the UC Davis Medical Center. With the initial information he provided, the Police Department investigated further and found that the subject had used a former patient's name, social security number, and health insurance information for treatment on two separate occasions. The subject was arrested the following day.
Gregg Tawney and Lucillano Oliva -- Sergeant Tawney, a K-9 trainer from the Placerville Police Department, and Oliva, a private K-9 consultant, provided free training services last year to the UC Davis Police Department's K-9 program. The program not only helps in tracking down suspects, but also is used for locating lost items and people, in detecting explosive devices and has been used for bomb sweeps at the Sacramento Airport and for the Agricultural Ministers Conference last summer.
Jack Chen -- On June 29, 2003, Chen had just finished his shift as a UC Davis police dispatcher when he noticed a theft in progress in UC Davis campus parking lot 30. Two males were stacking up bicycles next to a parked vehicle in the lot and were apparently looking for more. Chen got on his cell phone and called his co-workers in dispatch. Police officers soon arrived and, thanks to Chen, the men were nabbed in the act.
Josh Freilich -- On June 22, 2003, Medical Center staff members were dealing with an agitated man with a very high blood alcohol concentration. Officer Javier Barragan responded to the situation. A confrontation ensued, with the man taking the officer's tazer while the officer protected his firearm. Freilich, a clinical nurse, pulled the man's hand away from the tazer and helped the officer wrestle the subject to the floor.
Rebecca Farnum -- On Feb. 11, 2003, Farnum was driving to her Medical Center job in the Bulkley Building on Alhambra Boulevard when she noticed two men tampering with a coin-operated vacuum machine at a gas station. She notified the police department. When officers arrived, they found the suspects were manufacturing methamphetamine and were wanted for committing a series of crimes from Washington to California.
Todd Cohen and Dawn McDonald -- Cohen, a veterinary medicine student, and McDonald, a nutrition student, worked with representatives for dog food companies, Hills Science Diet and Science Diet, so that the campus's K-9 unit could receive donated food. Without these donations, the cost of food would have to be paid for out of the police department's budget.
Guy Koppel, Amy Mentjox and Michael Person -- Medical Center employees Koppel, an associate director, Mentjox, a project development analyst, and Person, provided information to the police that eventually led to the arrest of an employee and the recovery of a stolen access badge. Their assistance also led to the recovery of property stolen from locations throughout the medical center.
Tim and Wilma Stowe -- In August 2003, officer Dennis Guthrie found a piece of metal in his rear motorcycle tire, causing it to slowly deflate. The Stowes, who work at Woodland Cycle and Saw, lent the police their trailer to help transport the motorcycle to a Sacramento repair shop. If a trailer had to be rented, it would have been expensive. Plus, riding the bike anywhere, even with a slowly deflating tire, would have been risky for an officer.
The police department also named Dennis Guthrie as the 2003 Officer of the Year and Leticia Garcia-Hernandez as the 2003 Employee of the Year. Guthrie, who has been with the department for three years, has proven himself a valuable employee, hard worker and peer, according to his nomination form. He balances his law enforcement career with community involvement.
Garcia-Hernandez is the dispatch unit supervisor for the police department. A nomination describes her as a great role model who maintains a positive attitude despite the stressful situations her job entails.