CLEARWATER, Fla. (WSVN) — A police officer on Florida’s Gulf Coast is being hailed as a hero following a pair of brave saves that took place weeks apart.
The Clearwater Police Department singled out Officer Andrew Billups for his courage during the Rotary Club of Clearwater’s luncheon on Wednesday.
Billups said the honor came as a shock because he was just doing his job.
“It’s not something that I did individually,” he said . “Most officers at this department would do the same exact thing.”
Billups credited his training for what his actions on a May evening last year.
Eight-year-old Lavina, who is nonverbal and is on the autism spectrum, didn’t know how to swim when she slipped away on Clearwater Beach.
“It’s kind of a balance I was going through, whether to push the scenario and be assertive and try to really keep it from happening, and being calm enough to make sure I got the desired outcome,” said Billups.
Billups found the girl on the rocks close to the water, and she was already wet.
The Rotary Club of Clearwater awarded Billups the 49th Annual Joseph F. Cornelius Family Foundation Outstanding Police Officer of the Year Award for his efforts in saving Lavina and then saving a woman’s life just 10 weeks later.
“He responded to a call involving a suicidal woman atop the Memorial Causeway Bridge. When he arrived, he found a woman sitting on the bridge railing. He used his words and gained her trust, talking her down from her parried position,” said Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy. “In both incidents, Officer Billups showed an amazing, calm professionalism, and most of all, compassion. He used his training to defuse two potentially tragic situations. The Clearwater Police Department is very fortunate to have officers like him, officers who know what to do when people are in danger.”
Billups said he’s taking the community’s gratitude as encouragement to continue his heroic example.
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