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LAPLACE — Corporal Cody Taylor of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office has been named Officer of the Second Quarter for his exceptional job performance during a recent water rescue in LaPlace. St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre, from left, along with Adam Ayyad and Nellie Estrella of Leo Furniture, sponsor of the Officer of the First Quarter, recognized Cpl. Taylor during a staff meeting today at the Lloyd B. Johnson Training Center in LaPlace.

Cpl. Taylor and other officers responded to a call last month in reference to a man with a mental condition fleeing into the Mississippi River. The man became combative and resisted conventional rescue efforts being provided by officers on scene.

Standard rescue policy states a rescue swimmer should not intervene with a combative subject due to the risk of the subject not only drowning himself, but also the rescue swimmer. Cpl. Taylor recognized this policy as well as the dangerous conditions of the currents in the Mississippi River. However, based on his training as a rescue swimmer/swift water rescue technician, Cpl. Taylor decided to enter the water to rescue the subject who was unable to keep himself upright in the current. Cpl. Taylor then utilized a direct contact technique to gain control of the man and bring him safely to shore. The subject was uninjured.

“… Without the quick thinking and selfless dedication of Corporal Cody Taylor, this individual would not have survived,” SWAT Commander Jake Boudreaux said. “Corporal Taylor is always prepared, always answers the call, and never hesitates to put himself in harm’s way to save others.”