St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Dep. Richard Scheuermann
receives Kiwanis Club Life Saver Award
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Dep. Richard Scheuermann received the 2020 Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi Life Saver Award at a banquet hosted by Kiwanis today (Sept. 22) at Rocky and Carlo’s Restaurant in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.
Dep. Scheuermann, a seven-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office who works in the Field Operations Bureau Patrol Division, was honored for his efforts to save a woman who attempted to end her life in June, 2020.
On June 6, Sheriff Pohlmann said, Dep. Scheuermann responded to a call about an adult female who was wanting to commit suicide.
When Dep. Scheuermann arrived on the scene, the female was becoming increasingly agitated and physically uncooperative so he placed her in handcuffs for her safety and had her sit in the front seat of a family member’s vehicle.
As emergency medical technicians were trying to tend to the female, she ran from them and dove into Bayou Bienvenu while still handcuffed. Without hesitation, and in full uniform and duty rig, Dep. Scheuermann jumped in the Bayou after the female and was able to safely help her out of the water, saving her life.
The female was then transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Lt. Richard Barr, Dep. Scheuermann’s supervisor, said he is not surprised by his deputy’s actions.
“Dep. Scheuermann always gives me 100 percent each and every day,” Lt. Barr said. “The fact that he did this does not surprise me at all.”
Dep. Scheuermann, who comes from a family of law enforcement officers, said he just did what comes naturally to him.
“Honestly it all happened so fast that nothing went through my mind. I jumped in after her because it’s what we as law enforcement officers do,” he said. “We don’t always have time to think about what to do sometimes. We just have to do it.”
Helping others is something that is just in his blood, said Dep. Scheuermann, whose father and uncle also are in law enforcement. His father, Dep. Randy Scheuermann, has been a police officer for 51 years.
“Other than growing up looking up to the greatest man and police officer I know (my Dad) and wanting to be just like him, I have always had a thing for helping those in need and putting others first and trying to make a difference in the world any way possible,” he said.
Receiving the LifeSaver award is an honor, Dep. Scheuermann said.
“It’s a small reminder of why I wake up and put on the badge, and, at the end of the day, it reminds me why I chose this career in the first place, to help those in need!” he said.
Knowing he is making a difference in his community means a lot to him.
“It felt good to know that someone called because they were in need of help and I was one of the officers to show up, and at the end of the day, a life was saved,” he said.
Dep. Scheuermann who has been in the Patrol Division for two years, also worked in Corrections at St. Bernard Parish Prison for five years and is a member of the SWAT team.
“I actually would like to work in every division in the department at some point in my career to gain as much knowledge as the job has to offer,” he said. “I love waking up in the morning knowing that I won’t be doing the same thing that I did yesterday, but also not knowing what the day will bring.”
Kiwanis Life Saver Committee Chairman Sam Catalanotto said the Kiwanis Club started presenting these awards more than a decade ago as a way to recognize first-responders in the parish for the work they do to protect the public. The award is presented quarterly to parish first responders chosen by the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department, he said.
“They are the first people through the door, and usually the last ones out, in an emergency, putting their lives on the line everyday,” Catalanotto said.
Anyone interested in joining the St. Bernard/Arabi Kiwanis Club community service organization is welcome to attend one of its luncheons each Tuesday at noon in the Rocky and Carlo’s Sicilian Room, 613 W. St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette. For more information, call Robby Showalter at (504) 616-7312.
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