Susan and Mike Smith scanned the darkening streets for Judy, an elderly woman with dementia who had been missing for hours. Suddenly, they saw a woman in a dress and thin jacket walking through Liberty Park8212;they’d found her.
For their aid to Salt Lake City Police and success in recovering a missing person, Police Chief Chris Burbank presented the Smiths with the Citizen of the Month Award at the Union Pharmacy, where Susan works.
“They saved her life,” Burbank said.
Two months ago, Salt Lake City Police called volunteers on their mobile watch, including the Smiths, to form search and rescue parties to look for Judy. It had been several hours since she was declared missing from her home in the Avenues neighborhood. The temperature was dropping into the 30s, and the older woman wasn’t dressed for the cold, Burbank said.
Susan Smith said it was wonderful to reunite Judy with her family and assist in the recovery of “a lovely person.” Mike Smith said they are nothing but appreciative of the opportunity to aid and serve the police.
The Smiths are the second recipients of The Citizen of the Month Award. The police began the award program last month in order to recognize ordinary people who go out of their way to enforce the safety of Salt Lake City. The watch programs, which have almost 1,000 members, double the police’s eyes and ears on the streets to keep communities safe, Burbank said.
Sean SullivanSalt Lake City Police gave Susan Smith and her husband the Citizen of the Month Award for locating a missing elderly woman.