Lancaster, NY Officer Honored For Heroic Act

A local firefighter, who is also a Lancaster, New York police officer, is being honored for his heroic actions earlier this month during a fire in Depew.

WIVB-TV reported that Officer James Robinson is being recognized for quick thinking and bravery.

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At the end of his workday early this month, Robinson says he was going to visit his favorite sandwich shop when he smelled smoke. Upon further investigation, he found it was coming from a big blaze at an apartment building and dentist’s office on Broadway in Depew.

Instinct and training took over and Robinson quickly worked to get people out of the burning building, including a mother and her two children, who while scared were unharmed. He says he ...

thanks God for putting him at the right place at the right time.

 

We oftentimes don't think about the fact that Police officials are responsible for performing various roles and responsibilities in a way that protects everyone’s constitutional rights.

Police are entrusted with an enormous amount of authority, including the authority to use force, and it is important that the police undertake these tasks in a manner that is legal, and also is respectful to community members, and is in keeping with local priorities.

Police agencies must also promote transparency and accountability to demonstrate to the community that they act fairly and impartially. Public trust and cooperation are key elements of effective policing and are lost when police engage in unconstitutional or unprofessional conduct.

It's oftentimes useful for us to think of the responsibilities of our police and firefighters, and the pressures put on them to react instinctively, with sometimes only minutes or even seconds to make decisions that most of us will never be faced with.