Corporate Spotlight
| Heroics prompt $10,000 award to officer |
 Ken Hammond, an off-duty police officer from Ogden, Utah, who quickly
confronted an 18-year-old gunman who killed five people in a Salt Lake
City mall, insists he’s no hero and simply did what needed doing. It
was his extraordinary actions that prompted The Force (formerly Horace
Small) to give Ken Hammond their third annual "Positive Force Award" at
the IACP Convention in New Orleans in October. This photo was taken at that event. From left to right, Neal Waters,
The FORCE; Officer Ken Hammond; Aimee Say, The FORCE; Ogden PD Chief
Jon Greiner; and Craig Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund. Hammond was selected out of a pool of hundreds of nominations from around the country by a committee of law enforcement leaders. Nominees were evaluated on their professional conduct, extreme acts of valor and bravery, dedication to their community and other achievements. Accompanied by very proud Ogden Chief Jon Greiner, Ken Hammond received a check for $5,000 for his personal use and $5,000 for the charity of his choice - the Primary Children’s Center in Salt Lake City. Although five lives were taken and several injured by the suspect prior to Officer Hammond’s involvement, his quick response and action undoubtedly saved the lives of many others. "Going in and engaging a suspect without having the benefit of a uniform, extra equipment or magazines for his firearm is truly heroic," said Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank. "Going in and engaging a suspect without having the benefit of a uniform, extra equipment or magazines for his firearm is truly heroic." "I feel like I was there and did what I had to do," Hammond said. After hearing the disturbance and spotting the gunman, he told his pregnant wife to take cover in the restaurant and walked towards the gunfire. The suspect was later identified as Sulejmen Talovic, who died after exchanging gunfire with Hammond and Salt Lake P.D. officers. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that "Hammond had a choice: retreat to safety with his pregnant wife or confront a killer. He chose to act." Ken was able to keep the killer pinned down until he was joined by other officers, first a Salt Lake cop and then members of the city’s SWAT team. "I went out of romantic-date mode to the ‘I need to protect’ mode," Hammond, 33, said. He told his wife, Sarita, to have the restaurant owners lock down their business. She called Salt Lake police to tell them her husband was an off-duty officer, not a second gunman, and to describe what he was wearing so that they would not mistake him for another killer. With no body armor and a gun with just eight rounds, Hammond ran down the mall corridor yelling, "Ogden City Police. Get down. Get back." After observing a number of seriously injured people on the ground level of the mall, Hammond saw the suspect with a shotgun and a .38 caliber pistol. The officer attracted the attention of the suspect and exchanged shots with him until backup arrived. "If I have the ability to protect people and save lives, I have an obligation. I had to do something," Hammond said. "I feel like I was there and did what I had to do," Hammond said shortly after the incident. After hearing the disturbance and spotting the gunman, he told his pregnant wife to take cover in the restaurant and walked towards the gunfire. The suspect was later identified as Sulejmen Talovic, who died after exchanging gunfire with Hammond and Salt Lake officers. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that "Hammond had a choice: Retreat to safety with his pregnant wife or confront a killer. He chose to act." Officer Hammond was able to keep the killer pinned down until he was joined by other officers, first a Salt Lake cop and then members of the city's SWAT team. "I went out of romantic-date mode to the 'I need to protect' mode," Hammond, 33, said. He told his wife, Sarina, to have the restaurant owners lock-down their business. She called Salt Lake police to tell them her husband was an off-duty officer, not a second gunman, and to describe what he was wearing so that they would not mistake him for another killer. "If I have the ability to protect people and save lives, I have an obligation. I had to do something," Hammond said. |
