GOVERNOR HONORS CHP OFFICER FOR BRAVERY

September 26, 2013 (Sacramento) – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. recognized California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Dane Norem with the 2012 Governor’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for performing extraordinary acts of bravery on October 25, 2012.

While on duty, Officer Norem of the CHP’s Riverside Area office responded to a call of a potential suicidal subject attempting to jump off of a freeway overpass to the roadway below. Officer Norem arrived at the scene and observed an adult male climbing the overpass fence. While attempting to save the subject’s life by preventing him from jumping, Officer Norem was stabbed nine times, including in the eye, with a utility knife. Despite his injuries, and continually being stabbed, Officer Norem continued to hold onto the man’s leg until help arrived to take the man into custody.

“It is without a doubt, his courage, dedication, and quick thinking are what helped save a man’s life, even when his own life was in jeopardy,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Officer Norem’s oath promising to assist those in peril or distress, and if necessary, lay down his life rather than swerve from the path of duty, was exemplified that day.”

The Governor’s Medal of Valor is the highest honor a state can bestow on its employees. The ceremony took place Thursday, September 26, 2013, at the State Capitol in the Governor’s Council Room.