Excel Despite Ailments
NYPD Cites 4 Who Overcame

By REUVEN BLAU

A Police Officer who returned to patrol after losing part of his leg in a motorcycle accident and a cop who receives dialysis three times a week before his shifts were among those honored with the NYPD's Police Commissioner's Theodore Roosevelt award Oct. 15.

"With mental discipline and toughness of spirit - qualities prized by Roosevelt - they have overcome these obstacles," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said during the ceremony at the New York Yacht Club.

In all, the department lauded four officers for their ability to continue to work despite serious health ailments. They are: Police Officers Jacqueline Bourne, Rachid Elkadi and Douglas Strong, as well as Sgt. John Paolucci.

The award is named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the president of the board of New York City Police Commissioners from 1895 to 1897.

In Spirit of Roosevelt

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly noted that Mr. Roosevelt suffered debilitating asthma as a child and was later diagnosed with a heart condition. "The doctor advised him to find a desk job and avoid strenuous activity," Mr. Kelly said. "Roosevelt did just the opposite. He went on to become Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, and President of the United States."

The award-winning officers, Mr. Kelly added, also didn't accept the limitations of illnesses or injuries.

During a rainy day on Dec. 6, 1999, Officer Bourne, a six-year NYPD veteran, was off duty when she was hit head-on by an SUV while she stood at the corner of Ave. H and Schenectady Ave. in Brooklyn. The impact knocked her to the concrete, where she suffered a broken pelvis, injuries to her left leg and hip socket, a broken tail bone and nerve damage.

"For three months she was bed-ridden," Mr. Kelly said. "Through intensive physical therapy, coupled with a fierce determination, Officer Bourne made a complete recovery."

Moved Up

She rejoined the department, and was promoted to Sergeant in February 2001 and Lieutenant in July 2005. But she was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year, which is now in remission after months of treatment. She has since come back to work and just last month graduated from the FBI's National Academy, Mr. Kelly said.

In October 2004, Sergeant Paolucci was riding his motorcycle off-duty when he was hit by a taxi cab, whose driver fled the scene. He spent six days in the intensive care unit, where his left leg was severely damaged. "He underwent a series of successful surgeries to hold his bones together with three metal plates and 20 separate screws," Mr. Kelly said.

Before the accident, Sergeant Paolucci served in the NYPD's Crime Scene Unit. Afterwards, he was eager to return even though he could have retired on disability. He was initially placed on limited duty, but following further rehabilitation he now oversees seven officers in a crime scene squad.

'Hands-On Supervisor'

"He is known throughout the Detective Bureau as an active, hands-on supervisor," Mr. Kelly said. "Two weeks ago, after a pair of Detectives were shot in a Bronx alleyway, Sergeant Paolucci was among those on the scene collecting evidence."

On May 2006, Police Officer Elkadi was also involved in a serious motorcycle accident, where he broke his pelvis, ribs, neck, leg, and back. Doctors were not at first certain he would survive. After nine surgeries, they were forced to amputate his right leg below the knee.

The accident occurred a year-and-a-half after he graduated from the academy. Fluent in Arabic, he was serving as a department-certified translator. "Incredibly, an accident that would have ended almost anyone's career didn't stop Officer Elkadi," Mr. Kelly remarked. "He had always wanted to be a Police Officer. And he still had a passion for the job."

Returned to Patrol Work

With the help of a prosthetic leg, he returned to work in limited duty. "But he made it clear that his ultimate aim was to be back on patrol," Mr. Kelly said. "Through physical therapy three days a week and the sheer force of will, Officer Elkadi was able to return to full duty status in May."

Officer Elkadi is currently serving on patrol in the 112th Precinct, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park, Queens. "Fellow officers describe him as an inspiration," Mr. Kelly observed.

Officer Strong has also worked to overcome a serious health ailment. In February 2003, the 14-year department veteran was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. Three days a week he endures dialysis before reporting to work for a 2 to 10 p.m. tour. "Most amazingly, Officer Strong's supervisors report that he is one of the most active members of the command, with a growing record of arrests: 966 to date, 229 of them for felonies, and over 50 arrests in just the last four months," Mr. Kelly said. "That is an outstanding achievement for any officer."

The Police Commissioner began his address at the ceremony by noting that President Roosevelt was shot in the chest while campaigning for a third term in Milwaukee in 1912. "The bullet punctured both his steel eyeglass case and the speech he was preparing to read," Mr. Kelly said. "Refusing to cancel his address, Roosevelt approached the podium and told his audience, 'I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot. But it takes more than a bullet to kill a moose.'''