A Franklin police officer's makeshift tourniquet and a Belmont officer's quick backup helped save a Gilmanton child's life in May, and now both women have been honored with one of New Hampshire's top law enforcement distinctions. Officer Ainsley Bruno of the Franklin Police Department and Officer Syntia Tine of Belmont Police each received the Officer Richard W. Bateman Dedication and Professionalism Award for their roles in the rescue.
According to The Laconia Daily Sun, Bruno was responding to a mental health emergency in Gilmanton when she encountered a child who had been injured by a piece of glass lodged in the child's arm. Bruno stopped an arterial bleed and created a makeshift tourniquet on the spot, even as she initially refused backup because she knew the family involved, the newspaper reported.
The Daily Sun reported that Tine responded to Bruno's request for assistance and helped secure the tourniquet. The child was taken to Concord Hospital and made a full recovery, the newspaper reported.
A Congressional Honor, Bestowed by the State's Delegation
The Officer Richard W. Bateman Dedication and Professionalism Award is one category in the New Hampshire Congressional Law Enforcement Awards. The Daily Sun reported that Bruno and Tine received it from U.S. Reps. Maggie Goodlander and Chris Pappas and U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. The awards program began in 1998, according to Patch.
How the Awards Are Chosen
According to U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office, full- and part-time New Hampshire officers may be nominated for the awards, which began in 1998. An independent committee of current and retired law enforcement officials selects recipients. The Officer Richard W. Bateman Dedication and Professionalism Award recognizes law enforcement personnel who go beyond their normal duties in service to others. A separate rescue response received the same award in 2022. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas’s office reported that Dover Police Detective Molly Martuscello and Officer Juel Cooper were recognized for responding to a juvenile-in-distress rescue on June 10, 2022.
In Patch's coverage of a separate ceremony honoring Nashua officers, Shaheen said New Hampshire officers regularly go beyond their duties to keep communities safe.
Praise From Colleagues, and a Focus on Mental Health
Back in the Lakes Region, colleagues singled out both officers for how they handled the emergency. Daniel Poirier and Matt Currier praised Bruno's response, while Evan Boulanger praised Tine's, the Daily Sun reported. Belmont Police issued a press release describing the award as meaningful and well-deserved, according to the newspaper's report.
The Daily Sun reported that Tine described the recognition as an honor and emphasized the importance of mental health support for first responders. The newspaper also reported that Tine and Bruno debriefed with other officers and the department after the incident.
First responders coping with the emotional weight of critical incidents can seek support through 988, by call or text, or through 988lifeline.org's chat function, per the Daily Sun's reporting.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Recognition
Bruno and Tine's honor follows a familiar format for the New Hampshire Congressional Law Enforcement Awards. In Nashua, officers James Ciulla, Shaun Mailloux and Greg Miller received Above and Beyond the Call of Duty recognition, with Mailloux and Miller specifically honored for pulling a despondent man from the Nashua River in April, Patch reported. Nashua officers Scott Ciszek and Colin Flanagan were separately recognized for helping save an elderly woman from a burning home on Lock Street in January, according to the same report.
The awards' categories have remained fairly consistent over the years. Back in 2007, Raymond Police Officer James Tomilson received the same Dedication and Professionalism Award during a ceremony held at the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Academy in Concord, according to Seacoastonline.com, which noted that year's ceremony also recognized career service and associate service honors.
The Daily Sun's report on Bruno and Tine was written by Katlyn Proctor, with contributions from Bob Martin.
