Hoboken officer honored for exceptional heroism

It's a challenge for many families across New Jersey. You have a relative who struggles with mental health and has episodes where you need to call someone in to help.

Now imagine that same relative is suddenly not where they are supposed to be. You frantically check the house for your loved one and then realize the kitchen knife drawer has been rifled through and the back door is open and swinging.

Thankfully when one family realized their loved one was missing, they immediately called the police.

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Responding to the missing person call was Hoboken Police Officer Ramon Calderon. Officer Calderon was recognized with a statewide Valor award for his handling of a very tense and potentially deadly situation.

After successfully finding the wandering man who was having a serious mental episode, Officer Calderon began immediately implementing his training to de-escalate the situation.

The man was acting erratically and then revealed he was armed with a knife and began cutting himself. The officer kept his cool, showed compassion and restraint and was able to get the individual disarmed and into protective custody.

Thanks to Officer Ramon Calderon, the man will get the help he needs and the family can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they will have a second chance with their loved one. Here's what the department had to say on social media.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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