Certificate of Merit · 2009

When an officer steps into a moment of crisis and a life is preserved, the act is sometimes noticed beyond the walls of his own department. In 2009, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association saw fit to recognize Officer Keywon C. Brown for his intervention into the attempted suicide of a young girl, presenting him with a Certificate of Merit.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association is the state's largest law enforcement organization, and its Certificate of Merit is reserved for officers whose actions rise above the ordinary demands of duty. For Officer Brown, it was a point of pride that a statewide body of fellow officers looked at what happened that day and judged it worthy of recognition.

The incident began with reports that a teenager had climbed to the top of a parking ramp and was threatening to jump. People at the scene were frozen, and every attempt to approach only pushed the girl closer to the edge.

Rather than rush in, Officer Brown reached the top of the ramp and kept his distance, opening a conversation that let the girl be heard. As he listened, she spoke of feeling alone and believing that others had turned against her, until she finally went quiet and fixed her gaze downward.

Recognizing the moment, Officer Brown moved quickly and pulled her back from the ledge to safety. She was taken into the care she needed, and the certificate that followed honored that single act of patience followed by action.

For Officer Brown, the Certificate of Merit was deeply meaningful, yet it was never the part he carried with him longest. What stayed with him was the simple fact that a young person had another chance at life.

The honor from the Wisconsin Professional Police Association stands as proud recognition that a fellow officer was there during someone's darkest moment, recognized an opening to help, and gave that person the chance to see a better tomorrow.