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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING POLICE OFFICER BRUCE COLLINS AND SERGEANT DANKA MILESIC OF THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY, DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, FOR THEIR BRAVERY, COMPASSION, AND DEVOTION TO THE CITIZENS OF COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, Police Officer Bruce Collins and Sergeant Danka Milesic serve the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Department of Law Enforcement, with professionalism, dedication, and a commitment to protecting the lives and well-being of the citizens of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, on May 4, 2026, Officer Collins responded to Thatcher Woods regarding a young woman experiencing a mental health crisis and actively contemplating suicide while standing on a bridge; and
WHEREAS, upon arriving on the scene, Officer Collins quickly located the young woman and, recognizing the immediate danger and seriousness of the situation, remained calm and relied upon his training, experience, and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) principles to establish communication with her; and
WHEREAS, through patience, empathy, compassion, and exceptional interpersonal skills, Officer Collins successfully de-escalated the situation, gained the young woman’s trust, and convinced her to move away from danger and to a place of safety, where she was escorted to waiting paramedics for medical evaluation; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Danka Milesic subsequently arrived at the scene and, at the young woman’s request, remained with her and provided additional compassion, reassurance, and emotional support while emergency personnel prepared her for transport to the hospital; and
WHEREAS, during her conversation with Sergeant Milesic, the young woman disclosed that she had been the victim of a criminal sexual assault approximately one and a half years earlier and continued to struggle with the emotional trauma associated with that incident, and Sergeant Milesic provided comfort and support during an extremely vulnerable moment in her life; and
WHEREAS, Officer Collins and Sergeant...
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