A Murfreesboro police officer has been celebrated with the Jerry Anderson Hero Award, a recognition of valor and quick thinking in the line of duty. Officer Dustin Nicholson was bestowed the award by the NAACP Murfreesboro Branch for his actions during a life-saving rescue. The significant honor was part of an MLK Breakfast hosted at Middle Tennessee State University.
Officer Nicholson's swift intervention took place on December 23, when he answered a call on the I-24 overpass at Old Fort Parkway. There, he encountered a woman who had climbed over the guardrail and was at the precipice of potential peril. With composure lent to him by his Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), Nicholson was able to swiftly engage with the woman and ultimately pull her back to safety. Despite the accolade, Nicholson humbly shared credit, stating, "The credit goes to the citizens who kept her calm until I arrived," as reported by the Murfreesboro TN Police Department. "There wasn’t much time to talk to her, so it was an easy decision to grab her so she could get some help."
The Jerry Anderson Hero Award commemorates the bravery of Jerry Anderson, a former NFL player, who sacrificed his life in 1989 attempting to save two drowning boys in the Stones River. Anderson's athletic legacy includes tenure at Central High School and the 1975 championship team of the University of Oklahoma before his time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Commending Nicholson, School Safety Division Capt. Don Fanning highlighted the officer's actions as reflective of "professional excellence but also deep humanity." In Nicholson's conduct, the ideals of the award and the values of the NAACP converge; he demonstrated service, protection, and "respect for the dignity of every individual," said Fanning in a statement echoed by the police department's post. Nicholson currently works as a floater School Resource Officer and lends his expertise as an active shooter training instructor.
