Winnebago County honors deputy for river rescue; sheriff highlights CALEA and corrections inspections

Sheriff Gary Caruana presented a life‑saving award to Deputy Andrew Shaner at the Winnebago County Board meeting, recounting a July incident in which the deputy rescued a person who had jumped into the Rock River during a foot pursuit. Caruana described the July 15 incident in downtown Rockford: deputies pursued a wanted subject who jumped from a footbridge into the Rock River and began struggling. Deputy Andrew Shaner located the subject, enlisted the help of a civilian on a personal watercraft and used the craft to bring the subject to a dock where other deputies removed the person from the water. The sheriff called the episode a transition from warrant service to a rescue and presented a Life Saving Award and a Chairman's Service Excellence Award to Deputy Shaner. Caruana also displayed body‑camera footage during his remarks and credited county board approval for body cameras, saying the cameras "preserve the truth" and have been in use in the sheriff's office for years. "His life saving actions are commended," the chairman said during presentation remarks. In related public-safety remarks, the sheriff reported that the sheriff's office earned CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) certification and that the county corrections management team received a 100% compliance finding from an Illinois Department of Corrections audit. He cited recent investments including a jail management system named Black Creek and a new intercom system. The board recognized the awards during the presentations portion of the meeting; no formal motion was required for the award presentations.