Canadian Police Heroes

Beyond the Call of Duty

AUTHOR: Dorothy Pedersen
FORMAT: 5.5 x 8.5 pb / 120 pages
ISBN-10: 1-55439-052-4
ISBN-13: 978-155439-052-6

Superlative bravery, humble heroism, selfless dedication: these are just some of the qualities that informed the actions of the men featured in this collection. These heroes did not hesitate to put themselves in the line of fire - from high-speed car chases down busy city streets to perilous rescues in flame-engulfed houses to protect the mothers, sisters, grandfathers, classmates, and neighbours in our communities from harm. For this, they are rarely thanked. This book highlights their achievements in appreciation.

Prologue

Lights flashing and sirens blaring, three police cars raced to the bridge in downtown London, Ontario. The 911 call that had interrupted the previously uneventful afternoon shift specified the most urgent response - a Code One.

The multi-lane bridge at Richmond and Fanshaw Streets had a two-metre-high guardrail to deter pedestrians from accidentally going over the side and plummeting to the Thames River below. But as police constables Brad Merrison, Pat Coughlin, and Sergeant Dennis Koehler arrived at the bridge, they saw a woman holding onto a light standard on the wrong side of the guardrail - about 12 metres above the deep, fast-flowing water. Visibly distressed, she looked determined to jump.

Merrison and Coughlin bolted out of their cruisers. As Merrison blocked traffic, Coughlin hustled toward the woman. Not wanting to frighten her, he moved as quietly as he could. When Coughlin spoke, the woman turned to look at him. In the background, other officers and emergency responders prepared for a rescue.

Coughlin began to talk to the woman about her children. Even if she changed her mind about jumping, the heavy-set woman was considered a risk. If she slipped or stumbled while trying to step back over the guardrail, the possibility of her falling off the ledge to her death was still considerable. Rather than take the risk that she might falter and fall over the edge, specially trained firefighters were ready to lift her over the concrete wall with a high-angle rescue unit equipped with an assortment of specialized ropes and pulleys, normally used for securing hanging vehicles.

While members of the rescue teams exchanged information on and near the bridge, Merrison remembers looking over the side, hoping she wouldn't jump. "We'd rather see them get the help than watch them die," he says. Suddenly, Coughlin yelled out to Merrison, "Brad!" The woman had abruptly stopped talking, and turned away from Coughlin. Whereas previously she had been facing the lamp standard and holding onto it, now her back was toward it.

She let go and leapt over the edge.

The woman's feet were no longer on the cement, but in mid-air. Less than a metre away, Coughlin lunged at her and got an arm around her waist. He teetered, ready to go over the edge with her. Moving just as quickly, Merrison reached out, grabbed the woman's shoulder, and yanked hard on her arm. The two police officers leaned back, balanced precariously on the edge of the concrete, with the woman offering them no help at all. The third police officer, Koehler, dashed to the other side of Coughlin, reached down, grabbed the woman's legs and hauled them up over the concrete edge, enabling Coughlin and Merrison to pull her up to safety.

About the Author

When she was six years old, Dorothy Pedersen obtained a copy of Charlotte's Web from the Clydebank Public Library, in Clydebank, Scotland. By the time she was finished the book she knew she wanted to be a writer. She came to Canada in 1964 where, alas, school teachers discouraged her from pursuing writing as a career. After an assortment of jobs she trained in equine studies and horsemanship, worked for the horse industry for a period of time, and continues to this day to write about it. Dorothy enjoys designing and creating handknits and crocheted garments, and is an animal rights supporter, and boxing fan.

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