Photograph by Robert Scheer
Public Safety Officer Jim Gong aims to please, and was recognized for his work Sept. 26 at the city's 13th annual Public Safety Night.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Manny Montano, a Sunnyvale community service officer, received an award Sept. 26 for helping an elderly man take his injured dog to the veterinarian.
"It wasn't anything I wouldn't have done, anyway," Montano said. As Montano drove along Maude Avenue on his way to a call, he saw an elderly man walking slowly across the street toward his injured dog, who had been hit by a car. Montano blocked traffic with his truck, put the dog in the back and helped the man inside.
"Just looking at the dog, I didn't think she would make it. There was blood everywhere and she had a broken hip, but we took her to the vet anyway," he said.
When asked if he had any relatives, the man responded that the dog was all he had.
Montano returned to the vet the next day to find the dog sitting on a table wagging her tail at her smiling owner.
"He said she was off a leash and saw a squirrel and chased it across the road. Every time I've seen them since, she's been on a leash. It's a hard way to learn a lesson," Montano said.
Montano is one of 18 Public Safety officers who were recognized at the 13th annual Public Safety Night, an awards ceremony at the Del Monte building. Fourteen long-time employees and officers were also recognized for their dedication and hard work, said Lt. Blaine Salley.
Officers received awards for discovering drug labs, arresting shooting suspects and felony burglars and setting an example for younger officers.
A group of employees were recognized for their effort to help senior citizens. They put a Christmas tree at the Public Safety Department to be hung with money, and then used the money to buy gifts for seniors who were unable to leave their homes, Salley said.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 2, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.