[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E35-E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    A TRIBUTE TO OFFICER JAMES DRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 31, 2000

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, during our recent recess, a constituent of 
mine performed an heroic act which saved the life of a fellow law 
enforcement officer and earning him a place as one of the genuine 
heroes of our Hudson Valley region.
  James Dress of Tappan, NY, is a rookie officer of the 49th Precinct 
in New York City, and is also chief of the South Orangetown Ambulance 
Corps in my Congressional District. Two days before New Year's Day, 
Officer Dress arrived at the scene of a shooting in which an undercover 
detective was seriously wounded. Utilizing his experience as an EMT, 
Officer Dress realized that the wound was too serious to await an 
ambulance. He and a fellow officer performed emergency procedures on 
the undercover policeman and rushed him themselves to Jacobi Medical 
Center, where he was admitted in critical condition with extensive 
internal injuries.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Officer Dress and I am pleased to insert into the Record at this point 
a profile on Officer James Dress, which appeared in the ``Our Town'' 
newspaper soon after his act of heroism:

                     [From Our Town, Jan. 5, 2000]

                A ``Hero'' Label 12 Years in the Making

                         (By Arthur R. Aldrich)

       Not every NYC rookie cop gets the ``hero'' label pinned on 
     him after only a few months on the job. Some complete their 
     careers quietly doing their jobs with little public 
     recognition. But when the moment came for action, James Dress 
     of Tappan was prepared. He had been preparing since 1987.
       Dress is chief of the S. Orangetown Ambulance Corps, 
     elected to his third term as head of the unit. He joined the 
     corps in 1987 while still at Tappan Zee High School, learning 
     first aid riding the rigs as a youth corps member. While 
     still at TZ, Dress took and passed the 120-hour EMT 
     certification course to qualify as a full-fledged corps 
     member.
       Even while he completed his college work at SUNY Oneonta, 
     Dress returned to Tappan and rode the rigs as often as he 
     could. At Oneonta, he was among the founders of the student 
     Medical Response Team, usually first on the scene at campus 
     emergencies, and trained to administer first aid.
       ``I was looking at corporate law for a career,'' Dress 
     concedes. But at Oneonta he switched his major from political 
     science to business economics and marketing.
       But under all his other career ambitions was lurking a 
     desire for law enforcement. ``I took the tests in Rockland 
     for police officer,'' Dress says, ``and came in as a finalist 
     for appointment in Orangetown.'' All the while he continued 
     to volunteer as an EMT and answer calls with the S. 
     Orangetown Corps.
       But Orangetown never appointed Dress; instead, he took the 
     New York City Police exams, qualified, and was graduated from 
     the Police Academy in April, 1999.
       Instead of landing in a corporate law office, Dress found 
     himself on the streets of the Bronx, a rookie assigned to the 
     4-9 Precinct in Baychester. His unit concentrates on quality 
     of life crimes; but of course, performs all other police 
     duties as well.
       Assigned to the 5:30 p.m. to 2:05 a.m. patrol, Dress was 
     riding with his sergeant, Ed Warren, in a patrol car at 12:35 
     a.m. on Wednesday, December 29, when he responded to a call 
     of a shooting. Pulling up at E. Gun Hill Road and Sexton 
     Place, the officers discovered a man lying on the sidewalk 
     and a small crowd.
       According to Dress, he determined
       ``I put in a rush call for an ambulance,'' Dress says, 
     ``and began first aid.'' But when

[[Page E36]]

     Dress realized how serious the injury was, he made the 
     decision to put the wounded man in the patrol car and take 
     him to Jacobi Medical Center, a few minutes away.
       ``We could have waited for the ambulance,'' Dress says, 
     ``but we didn't know how, long it would take, and where it 
     would have to come from.''
       Dress' evaluation of the situation and prompt 
     administration of appropriate first aid is credited for 
     saving the man's life.
       Only later did Dress and the other officers learn that the 
     wounded man was an undercover NYC police officer. The 
     investigation into the shooting is continuing.
       As an EMT, Dress' first obligation is always to treat the 
     patient. As a police officer, Dress also had to obligation to 
     try to get information from the shooting victim while he was 
     treating him.
       ``He was trying to give me a name,'' Dress says, ``but he 
     was in a lot of pain.'' At Jacobi, doctors determined that 
     the bullet had pierced the undercover officer's heart and had 
     lodged near his spine.
       On Saturday, Dress and other officers visited the wounded 
     man, still in intensive care, whose name is not being 
     released because he is an undercover policeman.
       ``He seemed to be improving; he shook hands with me. His 
     wife and children were there, too. His two year-old son also 
     hugged me and thanked me.'' The wounded officer is now 
     reported to have regained some feeling in his legs, leading 
     to hope for a more complete recovery.
       Dress is the first to disclaim the hero label. ``I did what 
     I was trained to do. Any police officer would have done the 
     same thing; we're all trained in first aid. I think was EMT 
     experience made the difference in evaluating the situation.''
       Dress is back on duty, having been given New Year's Eve off 
     at the discretion of his unit commander. And he still spends 
     his days off working at the S. Orangetown ambulance 
     headquarters, and riding the rig when needed.
       His hope for the new year? That the man whose life he 
     helped save makes a full and complete recovery.

     

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