Mishawaka cop collapses on duty

A Mishawaka police officer collapsed during a routine call on the 100-block of Leyte Avenue just after 8 on Wednesday morning.

"The call came out as an 'officer down' on the air,” described Lt. Tim Williams of the Mishawaka Police Department.  “That is the worst thing ever to hear as a policeman that you have an officer down."

Mishawaka Fire Department crews arrived on scene quickly and performed CPR until the officer was stable, then transported him to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.  Officers across Mishawaka gathered at the hospital’s emergency room.

"This kind of event you want to be there to show that you support the officer and their family,” Lt. Williams explained.  “You work with these guys every day, you know them, you know their families"

Bad memories of officers lost in the line of duty were on their minds.  In the last 10-years the Mishawaka Police Department have had three officers killed on duty.

"Imagine losing a child or a family member and how that feels,” Lt. Williams explained.  That's exactly how it feels for us as law enforcement officers."

With those memories and feelings in mind there were tense moments this morning, until they got the good news.

"He's in better condition now, which is great.  We're all told he's going end up being OK,” Lt. Williams said with a smile.  “It's just a very tough morning to go through."

A tough morning on a tough job made harder when they heard the words no cop wants to hear.

"Hearing an officer say 'officer down' or 'I've been shot,' it just makes your heart drop,” Lt. Williams described.  “It's just the hardest thing to go through…unfortunately that's one of the things we face doing our jobs."

There’s still no word about the reason for the officer’s collapse.  Lt. Williams said they hoped to have an answer in the next few days.