Officer of the Month July 2020

Police K9 Officer Jonathan Wiese

San Diego (CA) Police Department

K9 Officer Jonathan Wiese
Police K9 Officer Jonathan Wiese

Washington, DC—The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum has named K9 Officer Jonathan Wiese as the July 2020 Officer of the Month.

Early morning of June 13, police received a call from a woman who believed her toddler twin daughters had been taken by their father, who was suicidal and planning to drive off the Coronado Bridge. Officer Weise was en route when the report that the suspect had driven his truck off Sunset Cliffs and into the Pacific Ocean came over the radio. When Officer Weise arrived, his first thought was to jump in after the truck. As other officers arrived at the site, Weise used his 100-foot dog leash to repel down the cliff toward the overturned car, with the help of the officers providing an anchor.

Officer Weise reached the father in the water, who was trying to hold both children while treading water and having difficulty. Weise helped them get to safety on nearby rocks where they could stand. As one child struggled to breathe, he inverted her to help expel water from her lungs, then put her in a bag and used the leash again to hoist her up to the officers above for rescue. Medics then arrived to pull up the other child with their father.

“Jonathan’s use of the 100-foot dog leash to have fellow officers lowered him down the 30-foot cliff to reach the father and 2-year-old twin girls is probably the most heroic thing I have seen in my 32 years,” stated David Nesleit, San Diego Chief of Police. “I am in support of Jonathan’s nomination and recognition as the Officer of the Month for July 2020.”

 

Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.

Police Unity Tour
The Police Unity Tour is the official sponsor of the Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Program.