HIGHLIGHTS

PO Brandon Bates

MPO Ruby on the right accompanied by his wife, Jenna

MPO Castaneda on the left with Merriam Police Chief Darren McLaughlin

MPO Phil Lewis

Life Saving Awards

PO Brandon Bates: On March 13, Officer Brandon Bates responded to a life-threatening medical call at the 5900 block of Antioch Road. Bates found an unresponsive woman in the residence. Bates hooked her up to an AED and started CPR. The woman’s pulse returned, and she began breathing again. The Overland Park Fire Department and Johnson County Med-Act arrived and continued lifesaving efforts. The woman was transported to the hospital, where she made a full recovery. Bates had just completed CPR and AED training the morning he responded to this medical call.

MPO Jared Ruby: On Aug. 1, officers were dispatched to Home Depot. Dispatch reported a customer had collapsed and wasn't breathing. MPO Jared Ruby responded to the call. When Ruby arrived, an off-duty Kansas City, Kansas, fireman was performing CPR on a 69-year-old man. Ruby took over doing CPR and connected his AED. The AED advised Ruby to give a shock. After the AED shock, the patient the started to breath and had a faint pulse. Johnson County Med-Act and the Overland Park Fire Department arrived on scene and took over CPR on the patient. Later Med-Act downloaded information from the AED and confirmed the shock applied by Ruby restarted the patient’s heart. The patient was transported to the hospital and released two weeks later.

MPO Rashad Castaneda: On Nov. 1, Overland Park police officers were dispatched to the 75th St. bridge over I-35 regarding a pedestrian check on a subject sitting on the edge of the bridge. Officers Castaneda and Justin Bilyeu were nearby and arrived before Overland Park’s officers. The subject told Castaneda he was going to kill himself by falling off the bridge. As Castaneda talked with the subject, he saw an opportunity to pull the man from the ledge. The man was transported to AdventHealth for mental health assistance. Castaneda's actions saved the man's life

Recognition

MPO Phil Lewis Returns to Duty After Surviving Cancer: MPO Phil Lewis returned to patrol in October after being gone for almost 18 months battling cancer. Lewis is excited to be back at work. He's a big benefit to the department and the residents we serve.

PO Beau Soucie: Record Number of DUI Arrests:

In 2020, Officer Beau Soucie was assigned as a traffic/ DUI enforcement car. He's also a certified Drug Recognition Expert. Soucie arrested 109 drivers, who were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Soucie had the top number of DUI arrests in Johnson County for 2020. The Merriam Police Department, as a whole, made 230 total DUI arrests. Soucie did a great job making our streets safer.