Heroic Acts

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While working in the prison I almost got in trouble for saving someone's life once. Inmates attempting suicide is not uncommon but it's mostly just a cry for attention as they usually plan the attempt when they know someone will be coming by shortly to see and save them. Occasionally their plans backfire and the attempt turns successful.

This one time an inmate tore up his bed sheets to fashion a noose and hung himself from the light fixture in his cell. He hung there long enough for his face to turn blue until my partner and I happened to walk by and see him. We quickly opened his cell door and while my partner held him up to relieve the tension on the noose, I cut the inmate down using a small pocket knife. We laid the guy on the floor and I had to cut the knotted sheet from around his neck before he finally took a gasp of air. Help arrived, the inmate was rushed to the prison hospital and I filled out the required incident report paperwork.

A while later that night one of the lieutenants reviewing the paperwork called me into his office and told me I didn't say in my incident report what I had used to cut the inmate down with. Mind you, carrying a knife, no matter how small, in the prison is a major no-no. Regardless, I told him I'd used a little pocket knife. The lieutenant says "No, what did you use to cut the guy down?" Catching his tone I said "uh, a pair of nail clippers?" He says "OK, good work, carry on."

Saved someone's life and had to lie about it, go figure!