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NY J01473
Resolution
Status
Passed
1/28/2026
Primary Sponsor
Christopher Ryan
Click for details
AI Summary
- John J. Cottrell of Syracuse, New York is awarded the New York State Senate Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Senate, for exceptional heroic acts
- On September 28, 2025, while off-duty and coaching Pop Warner football at Geddes ball fields, Cottrell observed a violent altercation involving individuals with a knife and handgun, and intervened despite being unaware a stabbing had already occurred
- Cottrell pursued the armed suspects on foot, retrieved his police credentials, confronted the group in the parking lot, and detained them until they fled in a vehicle before police arrived
- He provided responding officers with detailed suspect descriptions, vehicle information, license plate number, and identified one suspect by recognition, proving critical to the investigation
- Cottrell serves as a Geddes Police Department officer with over two decades of law enforcement experience, previously named Cicero Police Department's Community Policing Officer of the Year, and is a U.S. Navy Seabee veteran
Legislative Description
Commending John J. Cottrell upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate
Last Action
ADOPTED
1/28/2026
Committee Referrals
Finance1/20/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available