Jamie Speelman (left), Yvonne Battiste (center) and Latisha Cassidy (right) holding their courage award plaques given at the Rankin Council Meeting.
Officers Yvonne Battiste, Latisha Cassidy, and Jamie Speelman received a call looking for someone described as an adult walking up the bridge barefoot, with no coat on January 26.
“We did not even know what we were coming up on the scene,” said Cassidy. “It was a scary moment, and it was more intense because she looked younger than my youngest child.”
They found out it was a teenage girl walking on the bridge. She was preparing to jump off the Rankin Bridge into the Monongahela River.
Jamie Speelman (left), Yvonne Battiste (center) and Latisha Cassidy (right) getting interviewed by WPXI at the Rankin Council Building. Photo by Tyler Polk.
“I saw her climb the railing and knew what she was going to do,” said Battiste. “I threw the car in park and grabbed her before she jumped.”
The trio of female Rankin police officers was honored for their courage at the Rankin Council Meeting on Tuesday.
The Mayor of Rankin, Nicholas Glova, thanked them in a ceremony and gave the three officers courage award plaques, commemorating them on a job well done.
Rankin Mayor Nicholas Glova honoring the officers, by giving a speech about their deed. Photo by Tyler Polk.
“Your quick thinking and physical ability as well as risking your own safety reflects greatly on you and our police departments,” said Glova.
Since the day they saved her life, the officers are still in contact with the teenager and her family.
“We get together every day and talk to them and make sure that they are okay,” said Speelman. “We still get to be a positive impact on their lives.”
Published in The Valley Mirror.