Council recognizes lifesaving officers and swears in new police officer

The Muscatine City Council on Jan. 16 recognized three police officers with lifesaving awards and administered the oath of office to a newly hired officer.

Mayor Park invited Officer Austin Sink and his family to the dais and administered the police oath. Sink repeated the oath to support the constitutions of the United States and the State of Iowa and to faithfully discharge duties as a police officer in the City of Muscatine.

The council presented lifesaving awards to Lieutenant Greg Hazlett and Officers Tyler Staley and Nathaniel Avis for their response to a Dec. 24, 2024 medical emergency at a senior housing complex. According to the award text read at the meeting, Lieutenant Hazlett was first on scene and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Officers Staley and Avis brought an automated external defibrillator and assisted with CPR. The AED delivered a shock, medical personnel arrived, and the victim was reassessed and found to have regained a pulse and began breathing. The award statement said the victim survived the incident.

Mayor Park and council members publicly congratulated the officers. The city administrator and other council members highlighted the lifesaving response during closing remarks, thanking public-safety personnel for their service to the community.

Why it matters: The awards formally recognize emergency responders whose actions, per the city’s statement, directly contributed to a person’s survival, and the swearing-in marks the addition of a police officer to the department roster.