For "Protecting the Palm Beaches," we honor a Boynton Beach Police dispatcher, credited with keeping a child calm after shots were fired outside her home.
The girl's uncle had been shot and Theresa Bennett gave the child instructions to provide to others in the home in order to provide first aid until rescue crews arrived.
Bennett is also being honored for another call in which she was instrumental in the arrest of a teen who had been making false 911 calls. One of those calls prompted the SWAT team to show up at a Walmart. These false alarms cost taxpayers unnecessary money.
The police department says Bennett also showed great care and concern for a retired New York City Police officer who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after 9/11, and falsely believed he had overdosed on drugs.