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Silver Shield Award Recipient
Last night the Suffolk PBA awarded it's highest honor to SCPD Officer Thomas Wilson. Honored guests from the Suffolk County Legislature joined PBA president Noel DiGerolamo in recognizing Officer Wilson's bravery and selflessness. Officer Wilson's heroic actions are detailed below.
You may also read about previous winners of this prestigious award under the Silver Shield section of this page.
On April 13th, 2018 Police Officer Thomas Wilson responded to a 911 hang-up call, to possibly check on the welfare of a person having difficulty breathing.
On arrival at the location, Officer Wilson could hear movement within the apartment but received no response when he knocked on the front door. He was able to look through a window in the door and observed there was a male within. Officer Wilson knocked again and identified himself as a Suffolk County Police Officer then heard a female voice scream out “please help, he stabbed me”.
The Officer yelled that he was going to force the front door open at which time the front door swung open and Officer Wilson was immediately confronted with a male subject armed with a bloody knife. The male subject while brandishing the knife began to advance from the doorway towards the Officer, forcing Officer Wilson to retreat and draw his service weapon. Wilson gave several orders for the male to drop the knife, but the male subject placed the knife against his own throat, begging Officer Wilson to shoot him.
Officer Wilson attempted to establish a dialogue with the subject to de-escalate the situation, but the male continued to make suicidal threats. The male retreated into the apartment still holding the knife and said, “If you won’t kill me, I’m going to finish the job”.
Believing that there was a stabbing victim within the apartment and fearing that the male was going to kill that victim, Officer Wilson disregarded his own safety and followed the male inside the apartment. Officer Wilson observed there was a female, lying in the hallway directly behind the armed male, bleeding profusely from several wounds. The male continued to move closer to the female in the hallway while pointing the knife at Officer Wilson while ignoring commands to stop and drop the knife. Realizing that shooting the subject could endanger the female directly behind the subject, Officer Wilson quickly transitioned to his Taser which he deployed hitting the subject and stopping him just prior to reaching the female.
Officer Wilson was able to quickly secure the knife and handcuff the male subject. He then began to administer first aid to the female who was bleeding from severe stab wounds to the neck, hands, and arms. The Officer used a towel to compress the neck wound and control the bleeding while keeping the victim calm all while maintaining control over the arrestee.
The attacker was ultimately charged with Attempted Murder 2, Attempted Assault 2, Menacing, Criminal Obstruction, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4, Unlawful Imprisonment 2 and Criminal Mischief.
Officer Thomas Wilson disregarded the risk to his own life several times during this incident. He made intelligent tactical decisions which kept the female victim safe as well as facilitated the arrest of an armed subject. His ability to supply first aid to the female victim suffering a near-fatal carotid neck wound clearly saved her life.
For his determination and bravery involving danger and risk to his own life, the Suffolk County PBA is proud to present Police Officer Thomas Wilson with the Silver Shield Award for 2018.
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