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Officer Saum, 1991 Officer of the Year

Officer Saum was selected as 1991 Officer of the Year. This is Officer Saum’s second year as an officer at our department, and in this short time he has established himself as a hard working, honest, dependable officer. Officer Saum is known for his initiative, observation skills, quality and quantity of work, and his officer safety practices.

Officer Saum is even-tempered, remaining calm and in control in the best and worst situations. He exercises good judgment while carrying out his duties. Saum always maintains a great attitude and completes every assignment with precision. Officer Saum’s teammates report that he is great to work with, helpful and patient, with a good sense of humor. Officers have said that they want Saum as their back-up officer on calls because of his tremendous size, his ability to stay calm under pressure, and his easy way of communicating with anyone.

His peers say that Officer Saum utilizes good patrol techniques, digging in places that are out of the way, consistently discovering criminal behavior and making arrests. Officer Saum completed a two-week tactical course at Offutt Air Force Base, and has been encouraged by his sergeant to apply for the department’s SWAT team. The following are some of his work accomplishments this year.

In January, Officer Saum investigated a burglary at a bar. Saum searched the area and followed footprints in the snow to where the suspect’s vehicle had been parked. Saum recovered physical evidence that led detectives to two known burglars working the Bellevue area. Also in January, Saum made a high number of DUI arrests.

In March, Officer Saum made a pro-active traffic stop which resulted in the apprehension of a subject wanted by Kansas authorities for arson. Saum’s DUI arrests were the highest on his team, as were other work indicators.

In April, Officer Saum and other officers were dispatched to a residence on High Meadows Lane for a shooting. Saum responded to the area of the call and began to patrol and look for the suspect. Upon hearing a broadcast of the suspect vehicle, Saum immediately located it parked in the lot of Christ the King Church. He requested other officers, and together they approached the van and took the suspect into custody without injury to anyone.

In July, Officer Saum responded to a residence because of a domestic violence assault. The wife, who was the victim of seven years of abuse, later sent a letter to the Chief of Police commending the actions of Officer Saum and his partner. She said because of their help she was able to make some good choices and felt safe for the first time in years.

Also in July, officers were sent to Britain Town Apartments and discovered several cars that had been broken into, as well as garages. A description of the car involved, along with its license plate, was broadcast. Saum was busy at the time with a disturbance and transported one of the involved individuals to Gregg Road. While there, Officer Saum observed and stopped the vehicle involved in the thefts. The suspects were arrested and thousands of dollars of stolen property was recovered.

In late July, Officer Saum’s lieutenant was staking out a car dealership lot because of recent auto thefts. He observed two suspects drive onto the lot in a car. One suspect then entered one of the cars of the dealership and drove off with it. Officers were then involved in two pursuits; one of the stolen car and one of the suspects’ car. The suspects’ car was driven north out of town and then east over the bridge into Council Bluffs. It went out of control and off the road near the Mall of the Bluffs, and the driver fled into the nearby woods. Officer Saum had followed the pursuit and searched for the suspect, finding him a short time later in the heavily wooded area.

In October, Officer Saum observed a speeding vehicle without license plates. When he tried to pull the vehicle over, it attempted to elude him by quickly puling into an apartment complex. The driver headed towards a building, but Saum ordered him to return, which the driver did. Saum investigated further and found that the vehicle had been stolen out of Omaha. The driver was arrested.