Village Praises Officers for Swift Actions

With National Police Week underway, the East Hampton Village Boad took some time out of its meeting on Friday to recognize three village officers for their outstanding work.

Officers Mario Julio Galeano, Kenneth Brabant Jr. and Chris Hansen each received commendations for their swift actions on the job in two instances over the past year-and-a-half.

Police Chief Jerry Larsen chose to recognize Galeano, who spotted something suspicious going on inside a vehicle parked at the rest-stop at the western edge of the village on Jan. 24, 2012. The and endangering the welfare of a child under 17.

Larsen said the rape would have otherwise gone undetected had it not been for Galeano's "quick thinking and determination."

Brabant and Hansen helped save the life of . They quickly arrived at an East Hampton Village house and used an automated external defibrillator, a portable device that analyzes the heart's rhythm for arrhythmias and ventricular tachycardia, then directs the user to deliver an electrical shock to the heart.

The man remained unconscious for 12 days and then made a full-recovery, according the chief.

The officers, and Officer Barry Johnson, who also helped during the call, were recognized by their peers in the Suffolk County Police Conference with the .

National Police Week is from May 13 to 19.

Village Trustee Richard T. Lawler, who acts as the police commissioner, said the village appreciates the hard work of the entire police department.