Nine officers honored for their bravery
Awards include state’s highest honor for police
Nine officers from the Boston, Worcester, and Revere police departments were honored Tuesday during the 40th annual Trooper George L. Hanna Memorial Awards for bravery during a ceremony in Worcester, according to the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The Hanna Awards, named for a trooper killed in the line of duty in 1983, include the Medal of Honor, the state’s highest award given to law enforcement personnel who demonstrate “extraordinary bravery and courage” during emergencies despite “certain and imminent danger to life or limb,” EOPSS said in a statement.
Officers can also receive the Medal of Valor for actions that go “above and beyond the call of duty” and “demonstrate selfless bravery despite the potential for danger to themselves,” the statement said.
This year’s Medal of Honor winners were Boston Officers William Parlon and Kyle Moran and Revere Officer Brendon Leslie.
Parlon and Moran were recognized for their actions during the early morning hours of May 14, 2022, when they responded to a 911 call for a woman screaming for help, officials said. When they arrived, they saw a man whose shirt was bloodied standing next to a woman, who told Parlon and Moran, “Be careful, he has a knife,” the statement said, and the man charged at Parlon shouting, “I don’t care, I’m going to get you.”
The officers called for backup and gave verbal commands to drop the knife, but the man did not comply and a struggle ensued, with the suspect straddling Parlon on the ground, according to the statement.
Moran gave multiple commands to stop, but the man kept stabbing Parlon, so Moran fired a single shot, striking the assailant and ending the attack, officials said. Parlon was stabbed seven times in his chest and arm.
“If not for the resilience of Officer Parlon and the quick actions of Officer Moran, the outcome of this dangerous situation could have been lethal,” the statement said.
In Revere, Medal of Honor winner Leslie was recognized along with two Medal of Valor recipients from his department, Sergeant Jackie Dean and Officer Christopher Panzini.
The trio were lauded for their actions on the night of April 8, 2022, when Leslie and Panzini saw a man acting erratically while armed with a handgun in the middle of Broadway, officials said.
Leslie exited his cruiser, drew his firearm, and took cover behind his vehicle, telling the man to “drop the gun,” the statement said. When Dean arrived, the man fired at his cruiser and also began firing at Leslie and Panzini.
Officials said Leslie fired one round at the suspect, striking him in the lower leg, and Dean pinned the man down while Leslie kicked the gun out of his reach.
“The trio placed the suspect into custody without further incident,” the statement said.
Additional Medal of Valor winners included Worcester Officer Paul Cyr, and Boston Officers Brendan Bosse, William Flaherty, and Jamie Pietroski.
“Massachusetts’ most distinguished law enforcement award pays tribute to police officers who demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of extreme danger, no matter the risk to themselves,” said Governor Maura Healey in the statement. “Today’s award recipients exemplify the heroic legacy of Trooper George Hanna, and their stories are a powerful reminder of the peril an officer may encounter with every call.”
Officials said there have been 154 Hanna Award Medal of Honor recipients since 1983. Hanna was killed on Feb. 26, 1983, during a traffic stop in Auburn, when he removed five people from a vehicle for questioning and one of them shot the married father of three six times.
“The Commonwealth owes a debt of gratitude for the selfless service of today’s award recipients, and we extend our deep respect and appreciation to all who bravely answer the call with an unyielding spirit of sacrifice and an unbreakable sense of duty,” Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy said in the statement.