A baseball coach who suffered a heart attack during a game at Naperville Central High School, a man who stopped breathing after mowing the lawn on a hot day and an army vet on the brink of suicide are alive today thanks to efforts of three Naperville police officers.
On Thursday, May 19, officers Courtney Madden, Mark Lahtinen and Michael Selig were honored at the annual CAPS Awards at Meson Sabika. CAPS, which stands for Citizens Appreciate Public Safety, is a Naperville community group that recognizes public safety personnel for their contributions to the city.
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said: “People often only think about crimes and arrests when they think about the police department, but so much of what our officers do is rooted in service to the community. These officers’ use of their life-saving skills and de-escalation training offers a small glimpse into the human side of policing and the great work our men and women do on a regular basis that are kind of outside the norm of what police are known for. I couldn’t be more proud of them and the service they provide the Naperville community.”
Madden, who has been a police officer for almost seven years, was presented with two awards after saving the lives of two men just weeks apart. She says she’s very grateful to be recognized.
“I was very lucky. I definitely think someone was watching over them,” she said.
The first event happened in May 2021, when Madden responded to a call for help at a Naperville residence. Arriving within three minutes, she found a man sitting in a patio chair in his yard, unresponsive. After determining he wasn’t breathing, she lowered him to the ground and began chest compressions. She completed about 70 compressions by herself before medics from the fire department arrived to help.
“He had just mowed the lawn and the weather was just too hot. He had a heart attack,” Madden recalled. “I’m so grateful he lived.”
Once in hospital, the patient remained stable with his heart now beating on its own. Numerous fire department personnel complimented Madden afterwards, saying it was her initial efforts that saved him.
Six weeks later, she used AED pads to shock a coach back to life on the baseball field at Naperville Central High School. The devastating event, in the middle of a game, was witnessed by the victim’s son, who was playing.
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A nurse on the scene had already begun rescue breaths when Madden arrived with two other officers. She ran to the dugout and after locating the victim, started doing chest compressions. It soon became apparent that the coach had suffered a heart attack and the best way to save him was to use AED pads.
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“I cut off his shirt and applied the pads. We continued while the fire brigade set up,” Madden said. “He started coughing and was obviously in a lot of pain. I have never seen an AED shock someone and have them wake up right away. His son witnessed the whole thing.”
When police officers are called to a case, adrenaline takes over, she said.
“You have to assess the patient and see what they need,” she said. “It’s only when medics take over or the patient is transferred that there’s an adrenaline dump. It doesn’t hit till after. A lot of us are very used to it, it’s part of our routine.”
Officers Michael Selig and Mark Lahtinen saved the life of a suicidal army vet last June. They were called to assist firefighters with an intoxicated male subject who admitted he’d been drinking for days and wanted to die.
Selig tried to reason with him, but initially the man refused treatment and sat on his bed crying and clenching his fists.
“If you can connect on a personal level, it can help you out,” he said. “I was in the Marines so I said to him that as one soldier to another, you need to trust me and get some help. He looked me right in the eye and asked me to go with so I walked with him and sat in the ambulance. I stayed with him in the hospital until he was comfortable.”
Selig said this type of call is not unusual.
“I don’t want to yell at them. My objective is to de-escalate the situation,” he said. “In Naperville you don’t get a lot of confrontations, but any officer would be a little bit nervous because you don’t want a fight. You do what you have to do.”
Selig says he is grateful for the recognition, which was unexpected.
“I appreciate someone is watching what we do,” he said.
Like Selig, Officer Mark Lahtinen has been on the force for three years. He spoke with the suicidal man’s girlfriend outside to assess the situation.
“Her description was that he was very angry and would fight anyone who wanted to help,” he said. “We go through a lot of training about de-escalation and you have to have a plan on how to help.”
After the incident with the police, the man they helped spent six days going through detox in the hospital and is now committed to taking the necessary steps for sobriety and wellness, officials said.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.