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Published on Wednesday, January 12, 2005
in the Miami Herald
It wasn't for writing tickets, arresting criminals or performing any other on-the-job duties that Donnie Jackson and Sean Brammer were honored Tuesday.
Jackson, a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy, and Brammer, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, were both off duty when, in two separate cases, they saved three lives.
The men were in Tallahassee Tuesday with 12 other law-enforcement standouts as nominees for the 2004 Attorney General's Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award.
A Tallahassee police officer, Chuck Perry, was named Officer of the Year, but all of the nominees attended an awards ceremony and received a certificate of recognition.
Jackson, 36, a motorcycle deputy in Pompano Beach, said he was not expecting such recognition for pulling two young boys out of a sinking car while he drove home from an overnight shift in August 2003.
''I just couldn't believe it,'' Jackson said of the honor. ``Words can't explain.''
It was just before 7 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2003, when Jackson was driving on Florida's Turnpike Homestead Extension in Miami-Dade County and saw the boys' father trying frantically to flag someone down.
Jackson called 911 and jumped into the water. After pulling them out of the car, he performed CPR on the younger boy.
He has seen the boys, who are half brothers, a few times since that morning, and they're doing well.
''We were proud of him when the incident occurred and we're proud to see that he's still being honored for his heroic efforts,'' said BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. ``Because of Deputy Jackson, those children were able to celebrate another birthday and their families were spared the pain of losing a loved one.''
Brammer, 32, the FHP trooper, wasn't on the road but rather at church when his help was needed.
A 15-year-old boy collapsed in a chair at Saved by Grace Community Church in Miramar on Oct. 19, 2003, while Brammer was attending services. It's not clear what caused the teen to slump over.
He found the teen's pulse, which was faint, and started CPR, aided by a 911 dispatcher. On the second round of CPR, the teen started breathing again. He has since recovered.
''To me, it was just like doing what I was trained to do,'' said Brammer, who was named FHP's 2004 Trooper of the Year.
''Anytime you save a life . . . that deserves some recognition,'' said FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky, who nominated Brammer for Trooper of the Month after the incident.