[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 77 (Friday, May 5, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E402-E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING SERGEANT SARAH PARKE, 2023 OFFICER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE BOST

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 5, 2023

  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sergeant Sarah Parke of 
the West City, Illinois Police Department in recognition of her being 
named the 2023 Officer of the Year by the Illinois Association of 
Chiefs of Police.
  Over Sgt. Parke's decade of service with the West City Police 
Department, she has received numerous accolades for her performance and 
professionalism. And her quick actions have helped save multiple lives.
  Sgt. Parke received an award for saving the life of a man who 
collapsed on a treadmill in 2019. If not for her intervention before 
paramedics arrived, he may well not have survived. In 2021, Sgt. Parke 
again saved the life of an unresponsive man by performing CPR until a 
delayed medical response could arrive.
  In July of last year, the West City Police Dispatch received a 911 
call only stating, ``It's so hot.'' Sgt. Parke raced to the scene of 
the house fire and courageously saved a man by dragging him from a 
burning building while putting out the flames on his clothes.
  Last November, she performed CPR on a man who collapsed outside of a 
restaurant, obtaining a pulse before medical staff arrived.
  Sgt. Parke's service does not end when her work shift does. In her 
personal time, she gives back to her community, including by initiating 
the ``Backpack Project,'' which aims to help homeless people by 
providing them with warm clothing. toiletries. and other essentials.
  Sgt. Parke also oversees the West City Police Department's ``Shop 
with a Cop'' program, which raises funds for children in need and 
provides shopping trips, decorating, and a major Christmas party for 
them and their families.
  Please join me in recognizing Sergeant Sarah Parke, 2023 Illinois 
Officer of the Year, and wish her continued success in strengthening 
and protecting her community for years to come.

[[Page E403]]

  

                          ____________________