UPD Officers Earn SUNY Life-Saving Award
ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 26, 2021) — Just after midnight on Feb. 7 of last year, the University Police Department received a call for a possible drug overdose.
Officers Daniel Callahan and Lucas Hoague hurried to the scene, where they found a person passed out and pallid, with eyes rolling back. A friend said the unconscious person had taken oxycodone.
Callahan and Hoague administered Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses. After a second dose the person sat up, and the officers oversaw a transfer to emergency medical professionals from Five Quad and the Albany Fire Department who had arrived on the scene. The person was transferred to St. Peters Hospital and made a full recovery.
For their swift actions, Callahan and Hoague were awarded the SUNY Police Chiefs Association Life Saving Award earlier this month. The award is presented to University Police members whose actions directly contribute to saving or significantly prolonging a life.
“As a department that values community, professionalism and excellence, we strive to demonstrate these core commitments in every interaction. I am grateful for the recognition that Officers Callahan and Hoague are receiving for their performance during this incident," said Interim UUP Chief Paul Burlingame. "Their actions that night are symbolic of the outstanding work both of these officers perform on a daily basis, and the positive affect they have on their community. The influence an officer has on an individual isn’t always realized, but there is no mistaking the impact when life is preserved.”
UAlbany’s University Police Department has 40 sworn officers. Hoague has been a NYS University Police Officer since 2010 and transferred to UAlbany in 2012. Callahan has been a University Police Officer since 2011 and at UAlbany since 2015.
“On behalf of the State University of New York, I want to extend my sincere congratulations to this year’s award recipients and give thanks to all of our law enforcement personnel who work tirelessly each and every day to keep us safe,” SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said during a virtual ceremony honoring all the SUNY award winners. “2020 was a year of unprecedented challenge, and you managed to save lives, deescalate situations that could have turned deadly, and serve as role models. We asked you to do more, and you stepped up without hesitation. Today and every day you are a great source of pride for our entire university system.”
During the ceremony, SUNY University Police Commissioner Frank Lawrence also talked about 2020 as a “year full of tragedy, separation and anxiety about the future,” adding that the “the men and women of our university police departments — through selfless actions both big and small — provided light and hope when we needed it most.”
In addition to the SUNY Chiefs awards, UPD officers are recognized annually for their achievements through departmental awards. The following are the award recipients for the 2019-2020 Academic Year.
- Meritorious Unit Award to UPD Honor Guard: Lt. Michael Mabee and officers Cris Affinito, Peter Barry, Daniel Callahan, Joseph Marotta, Adam Pasnik, Daniel Vandeyar and Christopher Yankowski
- Community Service Award: Cris Affinito, Kurt Nolan
- Exceptional Service Awards: Lieutenants Kevin Krosky, Steven Grassmann and Jeremy Eveleth, and Officer Christopher Lacosse
- Robert F. Foster Security Services Assistant of the Year Award for Professional Service: Security Services Assistant Daniel Shields
- Clark Dix Award for Excellence in Communications: Communications & Security Specialist Patrick Engelhardt
- Lawrence Gaal Officer of the Year Award for Professional Service: Officer Steven Santa Maria