Elmhurst Police Officers to be Honored with 2015 Award of Valor

Submitted by the City of Elmhurst.

The 100 Club of DuPage County will present Elmhurst Police Officers John Pacewic and Margaret Hopkins, Oakbrook Terrace Officer Jason Sluzewicz, and Westmont Fire Department Lt. Josh Turen their 2015 Award of Valor during its 33rd Annual Dinner and Awards Night on October 28, 2015 at the Lisle/Naperville Hilton.

The dinner recognizes these first responders for their acts of courage and heroism.

On April 27, 2015, Elmhurst Police Officers John Pacewic and Margaret Hopkins, along with Oakbrook Terrace Officer Jason Sluzewicz, were dispatched for a report on an occupied car that had driven into a pond at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst.

Upon arriving on the scene and finding the vehicle 90 feet from the shoreline and almost completely under water, Officers Pacewic, Hopkins, and Sluzewicz, entered the water, swimming over 90 feet to rescue the unconscious driver. The officers were able to free the victim from the passenger compartment, pull him to the surface, and ultimately to the shoreline.

On April 29, 2015, the Westmont Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in the King Arthur Court apartment complex. Upon arrival, there was heavy brown smoke and the report of a person still in the apartment. Lt. Turen, without regard for his own safety, entered the apartment. After searching for a few seconds, he was forced back by the intense heat and retreated from the apartment until a charged hose line was in place.

Once the charged hose line was in place, his crew then proceeded into the apartment and extinguished the fire. While the crew was extinguishing the fire, Lt. Turen located the victim approximately 12 feet inside the apartment and removed him from further danger.

The 100 Club President, Lisa Savegnago, will present the Award of Valor to Officer Pacewic, Officer Hopkins, Officer Sluzewicz, and Lt. Turen during the annual dinner.

“It is with great honor to bestow the 2015 Award of Valor to Officers Pacewic, Hopkins, Sluzewicz, and Lt. Turen” said Savegnago. “They all put their lives on the line, without hesitation and with courage, to save the life of another. Their leadership and devotion to their duty and their community is unparalleled. They are true heroes.”

About The Award of Valor
The 100 Club Award of Valor is a life-long honor of law enforcement officers and firefighters chosen by their peers for heroic actions above and beyond the normal expectations of their duties and their jobs. About the 100 Club of DuPage County The 100 Club of DuPage County established in September 1982, is a private, non-profit charitable organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois. The 100 Club of DuPage County offers assistance to families of law enforcement and firefighting personnel who have been killed, injured, or otherwise stricken while residing or working in the county. For more information about the 100 Club of DuPage County, please visit www.hundredclubofdupage.org.