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Police Commission presents certificates to officers who aided passengers after Asiana Flight 214 crash
Summary
The San Francisco Police Commission honored four officers for entering a burning Asiana Flight 214 aircraft at SFO on July 6 to help evacuate passengers; the commission and city officials praised the joint effort of police, firefighters and airport staff that limited casualties.
The San Francisco Police Commission on its public agenda presented certificates of appreciation to four officers who assisted passengers after the July 6 Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash at San Francisco International Airport.
Commission remarks said the officers were among the first on scene when the Boeing 777 struck the runway tail during landing and that 307 people had been aboard the flight. "They ran into a burning aircraft," a commission speaker said while describing how officers entered the plane without firefighter protective gear to cut seat belts and remove passengers.
The commission named Officer James Cunningham, Lieutenant Gaetano Caltaguaroni, Officer Antoinette "Annie" Valenzuela and Officer Derek Lee. The chair noted that the department often follows a longer Medal of Valor review process but said the commission wanted to recognize the officers promptly.
Lieutenant Gaetano Caltaguaroni, speaking at the podium, credited his team and other agencies for the outcome: "We won as a team," he said, describing the difficulty of deciding when to withdraw because "that plane was engulfed in smoke and fire." Officer James Cunningham said he was honored and emphasized the teamwork of officers, firefighters, police service aides and airport safety personnel in assisting passengers, some of whom did not speak English.
Supervisor Katie Tang, speaking for the Board of Supervisors, presented certificates signed by the board and thanked the officers "for all of your work, not just for what had happened at the airport, but really every day what you do." Commissioners and the chief praised the officers' actions and thanked family members and retired officers present.
The presentation concluded with family members and officers gathering for a photo opportunity at the commission dais. No formal departmental discipline or policy changes were announced during the recognition; the commission framed the event as immediate appreciation while the Medal of Valor process proceeds.
