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Dedication of Motchan Drive and Awards Ceremony
by the July 12, 1978
Hon. Edward I. Koch
Hon. William Ciuros Jr.
I am certain that every member of the New York City Department of Correction shares my pride in the performance of the individuals we are honoring today. Their achievements speak of extraordinary courage and dedication to duty. In the past the excellence of the members of our Department was rewarded irregularly. I believe that it is of fundamental importance that we recognize and reward the heroic and genernus contributions that these individuals make to their fellow officers and truly, to the welfare of every citizen in our City."
---- Commissioner William Ciuros, Jr
Motchan Drive Correction Officer George Motchan On September 9, 1975 Correction Officers George Motchan and Joseph Connor escorted an inmate to Kings County Hospital Dental Clinic. As the inmate was about to sit down in the dentist's chair, he asked to be taken to the toilet. Officer Motchan accompanied the prisoner and removed his handcuffs so that he would be able to enter the stall. When the inmate emerged from the stall he was brandishing a gun, placed there by an accomplice just minutes before. Officer Motchan, who was the unarmed officer of the two-man escort, turned to open the bathroom door. With full understanding of the risk to his own life, he tried to gesture to fellow Officer Connor and shouted. "Watch out, He's got a gun." The prisoner shot Motchan in the back and charged into the clinic's crowded waiting room.
He then shot Officer Connor, who refused to return fire for fear of hitting any of the panicking patients who crossed between them. Another of the inmate's shots hit Annie Nelson, an administrative aide at the clinic. The prisoner fled through a rear exit of the clinic. He ran two blocks to a car in which two men awaited his arrival. The three sped off. Annie Nelson and Correction Officer Joseph Connor recovered from their injuries. Connor was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 29, 1976. He has since retired from the department. Correction Officer George Motchan died on September 15, 1975. He was buried with the Department's highest honors on September 19, 1975 only hours after his killer was recaptured. The man is currently serving a life sentence. Correction Officer Motchan was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on June 29, 1976.
The Medal of Honor is the highest tribute the New York City Department of Correction can bestow on one of its members. It has been awarded to only a select few individuals. The first medal was presented to Assistant Deputy Warden James Harrison. In 1957 when a plane crashed on Rikers Island with ninefy-one people aboard.
Harrison immediately assembled a rescue team of Correcf;onal personnel and inmates in an attempt to save as many lives as possible. Harrison implemented emergency medical procedures until help arrived and the victims were rushed to hospitals. Both the Police and Fire Commissioners commended Harrison for his heroic actions and credited his improvised rescue team with minimizing the loss of life. Correction Officer Ernest Saccarello received the Medal of Honor in 1968. His courage helped thwart an escape attempt by several desperafe inmates. Saccarello readily volunteered for the assignment which involved potentially serious personal injury and risk of life. Acting in accordance with a prearranged plan to prevent the escape of the inmafes, Sacarello was overpowered by the inmates. He refused to assist them in their escape despite the fact that they threatened him with their makeshift knives. The ringleader of the escape, actually ordered another inmate to open the cell in which they had thrown Sacarello so that he could stab the officer. Fortunately the lack of time forced them to abandon their desire to maim the officer. As they exited, they were apprehended by waiting correctional and police officers. Sacarello was awarded the medal for his courageous, intelligent and distinguished act. Alexander Polack was the only civilian ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Polack saw a bulldozer and its operator, who were doing construction work on Rikers Island, slide down a frozen enbankmenf, over the seawall and into the icy water below.
Polack, acting immediately, with disregard of the danger to his own life, plunged info the water and pulled the victim from under the overturned vehicle. He applied artificial resuscitation but his efforts were in vain. Polack was awarded the medal of honor for his courageous actions in 1971. Correction Officer Joseph Connor was awarded the Medal in 1976 for his valiant and compassionate actions during the incident in which Correction Officer George Motchan was killed. Connor put his own life in the hands of a desperafe criminal rather than endanger the panicking patients at the Kings County [Hospital] Dental Clinic. Correction Officer George Motchan, in the action described in this program, gave his life for his fellow officers. and truly for all his fellow citizens. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1976. Correction Officer Victor Gautier, today's recipient of the Medal of Honor is the sixth recipient in the history of the department.
COMMISSIONER WILLIAM CIUROS Jr., PRESIDING
Department recognition awarded a member of the department shall consist of the following in order of importance:
MEDAL OF HONOR -- Correction Officer Victor Gautier engaged in activities that were critical to an investigation being conducted by the Department and other law enforcement agencies. He repeatedly worked in areas where be was vulnerable to serious or fatal injury. In the course of these activities, he prevented a steel garotte from entering an institution. He was further instrumental in eliminating the potential of a firearm from being introduced within the institution thereby reducing the possibile injury or death to fellow officers.
HONORABLE MENTION -- Chief of Operations Gerard Brown was injured by debris thrown by inmates during the 1975 riot at the New York City House of Detention for Men. Yet he refused to abandon his post nor relent in his efforts to support personnel who were engaged in repulsing the inmates.
His courage contributed to the safe release of the Correction Officer hostages and to quell the rioting inmates.
HONORABLE MENTION -- Warden Louis C. Greco led a force of correction officers and superior officers in thwarting the attempt of rioting inmates to overtake a cellblock in the New York City House of Detention for Men. Warden Greco suffered serious injury to his right hand during the incident. His actions were largely responsible for forcing the inmates to release their five Correction Officer hostages and for bringing the riot under control.
HONORABLE MENTION -- Correction Officer Thomas Moore operated a departmental bus that twenty-four adolescent inmates commandeered on November 10, 1977. Despite their attacks which caused Officer Moore serious injury he was able to thwart their escape by kicking the vehicle out of gear several times.
Correctional personnel were able to regain control of the vehicle and rescue Officer Moore.
HONORABLE MENTION -- Correction Officer James Pryor engaged in a special assignment to assist the New York City Police Department in a major narcotics investigation that resulted in the seizure of heroin with an estimated street value of seventy million dollars. On April 14, 1978 the Police Department awarded Officer Pryor their Certificate of Commendation.
HONORABLE MENTION -- Correction Officer John Spencer was able to stop the attempt of twelve desperate inmates to escape from the Queens House of Detention for Men on April 26, 1977. Spencer fended off the inmates who entered the bridge area and tried to take him hostage until he could throw his keys outside the 'A' gate thus preventing the inmates access to the institution's elevators.
Medal Of Honor
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