Aurora, Ill. — At a Committee of the Whole Meeting on Tuesday, July 1, Aurora Police Officer Gerardo Chaidez received the Life Saving Award Certificate of Recognition from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP).Â
The Naperville Chief of Police and Executive Board Member of the ILACP, Jason Arres, presented the award to Chaidez. Chaidez was awarded for saving the lives of two individuals in separate incidents in 2024.
On January 19, 2024, Chaidez arrived at the scene of a call where a vicious dog was attacking a young girl. After noticing the girl’s arm was close to being severed from her body, Chaidez shot the dog and gave aid to the girl. He directed other officers to get resources. Chaidez was said to have kept calm and showed compassion while quickly handling the situation.
On August 5, 2024, Chaidez was taking a vacation in Texas. Outside of Colorado City, Texas, where he was traveling on Highway 20, Chaidez witnessed a motorcycle crash. The rider of the motorcycle hit a guardrail and his leg was severed from his body. Chaidez acted quickly in pulling over, dragging the victim out of traffic on the busy highway and improvised a tourniquet with his shirt and a belt. Chaidez again showed calmness and compassion, even while acting off-duty.
The Life Saving Award Certificate of Recognition was given to Chaidez for his heroism and bravery in saving lives. The Aurora Police Department also congratulated him in a Facebook post today, July 2.
