COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Every month, the Columbus Police Department honors employees of the month, but this month the employees recognized were nothing short of awe-inspiring and literally life-saving.
Columbus Police Officer Corporal Jacob Siter and Communications Tech Damekia Anthony were honored as employees of the month this February for their heroic efforts.
We begin with the honor for Communication Tech Anthony. On Feb. 3, 2022, Anthony received a 911 call about a woman preparing to give birth.
Anthony shared the family was in distress and needed help navigating the moment. With only six months on the job at the time, Anthony remained as calm as she could to help them in such a tense moment.
And that’s what impressed Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon.
“Our dispatcher was able to bring a total calmness to that entire situation and for the safe and healthy delivery of that baby,” Blackmon said. “She did an outstanding job.”
We asked Anthony how she could remain calm in such a crisis. Anthony says it starts by putting herself in the shoes of her callers.
“I try to keep in mind, how would I want others to respond to me?” Anthony asked. “I would want someone to help me feel calm, help me feel connected, help me feel at ease that someone is trying to help me.”
And it was certainly needed as another problem was only moments away.
“A complication came up, the baby had a cord wrapped around its neck,” Anthony said. “I had to stay calm and make sure I reassured the family that I was there for them and that I would be there to help them the best I could, and that help was on the way.”
Anthony prevailed and guided the family through. Once the intense moments ended, Anthony said the sounds of life put it all into perspective.
“Once I had heard the baby cry it was a huge relief, because that’s a sensitive situation,” Anthony said.
From life-saving to awe-inspiring, Corporal Jacob Siter also received well-deserved honors at the ceremony.
On Feb. 25, 2022, Siter responded to reports of an armed robbery at the Circle K on the corner of Wynnton Road and Brown Avenue.
“An individual entered into the Circle K with a loaded firearm, demanded money from the clerk, exited the store, and ran south on Brown Ave,” Siter said.
After working the scene, Siter confidently told his supervisor that he’d locate the suspect in only a matter of time.
“Yeah, I jokingly did tell my Sergeant, before leaving the Circle K, hey I’m going to arrest this guy really quick, he laughed it off, and within a few minutes I’d found him and went hands on,” Siter said.
Siter credits his knowledge of the area with the quick arrest.
“Due to being familiar with the area, and the individuals, after watching the video, I had a pretty good idea of where the suspect was going,” Siter said.
When Siter located the suspect, who had a loaded firearm, the arrest wasn’t easy, but Siter credits his fellow officers with keeping everyone safe.
“Officer Whiteman and Sergeant Conrad ran blue lights in my location because I was actively fighting him on the ground,” Siter said.
Above all, Siter said he’s just doing the job he signed up to do.
“That is what we live for as officers, that is the call, that is the type of thing we became police officers for,” Siter said. “Not the minor traffic accidents and parking complaints, it’s the serious calls, it’s the hands on, felony calls that we live for.”
Through the ups and the downs, Chief Blackmon said it’s important for employees to be recognized for their heroic actions each and every day.
“Often times we may hear of challenges that we experience, and we do have challenges, but at the same time, we have strong men and women here, dedicated for a cause, to do a job to protect and serve our community,” Blackmon said.