INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Three Independence police officers are being publicly lauded for their efforts during this week's massive snowstorm.
In the first act of kindness, an 81-year-old man on Butternut Ridge Drive feared he would be trapped inside his home as two feet of snow and ice piled up on his driveway. With no one to call, he dialed the Independence Police Department, and not long long afterward Officers Mario Mileti and Andrew Neuman were on the scene to shovel him out.
"I am proud that these officers did not hesitate to take action to make sure the resident was safe and had access to the outside world," Police Chief Robert Butler said.
Later Monday, Parma resident Cynthia Kucera was stranded on top of a snow drift at an RTA bus stop on Brecksville Road. She was unaware bus services had been suspended, so after flagging down Sgt. Brad Boroway and asking if he could take her downtown to catch the RTA, he instead decided to drive her safely home.
"There was nothing for him to gain in this extraordinary act of compassion and courtesy." Kucera wrote in a letter of commendation, adding that Borowy displayed "moral concern and [the] moral impulse to do a generous act of kindness."
"I salute these Independence police officers who went above and beyond to help citizens needing assistance during a potentially life-threatening emergency," Mayor Gregory Kurtz stated. "Our City is blessed to have a dedicated, high-caliber team of law enforcement professionals."
