Retired Officer Randall Giesseman, left, and Lieutenant Marcos Rodriguez, right, were presented with the Jan Mulder Citizenship Award during the Piqua Commission Meeting on Tuesday, March 5.
Eamon Baird | Miami Valley Today
By Eamon Baird
PIQUA — Lt. Marcos Rodriguez and Retired Officer Randall Giesseman were presented with the Jan Mulder Citizenship Award during the Piqua City Commission meeting on Tuesday, March 5.
Kathy Sherman, president of the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce, presented the award to the two Piqua Police Officers.
“The purpose of the Jan Mulder Citizenship Award is to recognize a person in a time of crisis or emergency through the disregard of personal safety or through prompt alert action saves the life or attempts to save the life of an individual or individuals,” Sherman read during the presentation.
Lt. Marcos Rodriguez performed the Heimlich maneuver, and it is the opinion of the victim’s daughters that Lt. Rodriguez definitely saved their father’s life, the Piqua Chamber of Commerce said on its Facebook page.
Deputy Chief Dave Thomas wrote in his report, “It is with great pride that I nominate Marcos Rodriguez for this award for his actions on Nov. 3, 2023, which directly resulted in the saving of a human life.”
“Retired Officer Randall Giesseman, upon arriving at a shooting back in May of 1979, realized there was a child on the front porch who could become a victim of the violence. He, without thinking of his safety, immediately sprinted, swooping the infant into his arms and taking him to safety,” Sherman said.
In his letter of recommendation, Retired Deputy Chief Thomas Higgins wrote that Officer Giesseman’s action constitutes heroic behavior worthy of recognition.
