POCATELLO — Surrounded by their friends, family members and other loved ones, several Pocatello Police officers and a National Guard officer were recently honored by the department at an awards ceremony.

At Pocatello City Hall on May 29, several Pocatello police officers were commemorated for their efforts in going above and beyond the line of duty.

The ceremony, which was directed by Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei, first recognized the Pocatello City Council members in attendance before Schei announced the retirement of Cpl. Forrest Peck, who had spent 23 years with the Pocatello Police Department.

“He was a member of our SWAT team, a field training officer and a bicycle patrol officer,” Schei said. “He was also a school resource officer over Poky High and impacted a lot of kids over in that area.”

Peck had previously retired but had not received some of the official awards, so Schei presented him with a gun box, a chief’s challenge coin and a plaque along with a congratulation of thanks and appreciation for a long-served career and dedication to the local police force. Peck also received a key to the City.

Schei then announced two new emergency communication dispatch officers, Chase Baxter and Danielle Kripner, who were sworn in after Schei gave a brief history of their backgrounds and expertise.

Following the swearing in ceremony, Schei announced several other new officers within the Pocatello Police department and detailed their unique histories.

Melissa Landis was sworn in as a new ordinance enforcement officer and new officers Cameron Pead, Adam Barney, Wyatt Eichner and Jayden Benson were sworn in and presented with their badges, which were pinned to them by a loved one in attendance or by Schei.

Local resident and Idaho National Guard Maj. David Worley was presented with a citizen’s distinguished award for his involvement in stopping the assault of a woman in mid-February of this year.

“His actions have contributed significantly to the betterment of the greater Pocatello community and helped save the female from sustaining further bodily harm or death,” Schei said before commending Worley for his actions.

Cpl. Demetrius Amos and Lt. Derek Daniels were then asked to stand before the audience as Schei recanted their acts of bravery beyond the line of duty that resulted in them saving the life of a young child.

Amos had traveled to Washington D.C. to receive an award from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for his courage and fearlessness in 2022 during an engagement with an armed combatant that left him with life-threatening injuries that he eventually fully recovered from. Daniels was about 30 minutes away at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and decided to drive up to support Amos while he received the award.

As Amos and Daniels stood in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History a child began to choke and struggle to breathe. Wasting no time, the duo performed a finger sweep and Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge a piece of granola bar before rushing the child to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police said they believe the pair saved the child’s life. Daniels was presented with the Lifesaving award and Amos with the Meritorious Service award.

An additional lifesaving award was presented to officers Marissa Saldana, Travis Namohala and Brendan Howard for their efforts in late April of this year.

During a traffic stop where a suspect had been detained for possession of a controlled substance, the suspect admitted to ingesting fentanyl. The officers observed the intoxicated male falling unconscious and administered a dose of Narcan, removing him from the patrol car in an attempt to keep him conscious until paramedics arrived. The male again lost consciousness, was given another dose of Narcan and chest compressions were administered until he regained consciousness as emergency medical personnel arrived and transported him to the hospital where he made a full recovery.

The police chief then gave out promotions after he gave a brief history of the committed service of the selected officers. Zachary Bartschi, Tyler Anderson, Sean Peterson and Bridget McArthur all received new badges that were pinned on them by a special person in their lives and were thanked by Schei for their continued support of the department in everything they do.

Schei finished the ceremony by thanking all the other departments, former first responders and other neighboring agencies that were in attendance that day for everything they do to keep the community safe.