Waterloo residents Nick Mills and Alan Zubovich honored with Police Department Medal of Valor

The Waterloo Police Department presented its Medal of Valor to two residents, Nick Mills and Alan Zubovich, during a National Night Out event, the department's chief said. The chief described both men as having shown "exceptional bravery, placing their safety and well‑being above others."

The chief said Mills, who witnessed a severe crash on Highway 63 in May, "manufactured a makeshift tourniquet, with his belt and a piece of metal and tried to comfort the female," and that "when the officers got there, the body camera footage shows him trying to comfort her." The chief noted the victim later died. On Zubovich, the chief said video showed him intervene in a downtown assault on several women, "take this guy down, put him in a hold, locked him up so he couldn't move so our officers could come in and put him in handcuffs."

"This award represents the highest level of civilian courage that recognizes acts of extraordinary heroism," the chief said while presenting the medals and certificates. The department thanked both recipients and presented a certificate alongside the medal. The mayor also offered public thanks, calling their actions the kind that "make Waterloo a better place to live, work, and raise a family."