A Manitowoc Police Officer and a Firefighter were honored at the Common Council meeting on Monday with Awards of Valor.
Officer Matt Klein was given the award after he selflessly dove into the Manitowoc River on July 24th, 2020 in an attempt to save a man who had driven his car into the river.
We spoke with Officer Klein shortly after the incident, and he said that while he was scared due to the nature of the situation, he felt he needed to try to help the man.
“Once my partner, Officer Nolan, showed up, I took off my vest and my belt and had him keep track of that,” Klein said. “He had a rope, so he held one end of the rope and I held the other and just jumped in to see if I could pop the door open or help in any way that I could.”
Captain Garret Grissom of the Manitowoc Fire Department also was honored for his heroic actions last year during an armed carjacking on November 9th.
Captain Grissom happened to see the victim stop her vehicle outside his fire station and went to investigate. That is when he saw two men, one with a rifle, ordering the victim out of her vehicle. He attempted to stop the men, but they did get away. Grissom brought the victim into the fire station and relayed information to the police department.
Mayor Justin Nickels read from a letter written by Fire Chief Todd Blaser, which read “Nobody knows what might have happened that evening if Captain Grissom had not used his acute situational awareness, and decision making ability in an attempt to stop the crime, and notify law enforcement officials.”
These awards show just how courageous and helpful the men and women who serve in the Police and Fire Departments truly are. Congratulations Officer Klein and Captain Grissom.
