Police Officer receives life saving award

Captain Ron England, Kilgore Police Department, pins a lifesaving bar on Officer Paul Barry. The honor was bestowed on Barry at this week's city council meeting.

Kilgore Police Officer Paul Barry was honored with a life saving award this week almost five months after he found a missing woman.

On Sunday, September 23, 2007, Barry, while serving with the Kilgore Police Department, took a report of a missing person identified as Welda Moore.

She was reported missing after leaving for work that morning and never arriving at her destination. After taking the initial information and reviewing it, Barry became convinced that Mrs. Moore was truly in need of help.

Through investigation and searching for her, Officer Barry found her trapped in her vehicle. The vehicle had been involved in an accident and left the roadway, landing in a large tree above a creek bed.

Moore was trapped in the vehicle suspended in the tree for more than seventeen hours.

Barry summoned Kilgore Fire Department and Moore was removed from the vehicle and taken by helicopter to a local hospital. She sustained extensive injuries and might have died if not for what the department described as "Officer Barry's dedication to duty and tenaciousness."

According to the citation, "these actions of Officer Barry reflect positively on the Kilgore Police Department, the City of Kilgore and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Law Enforcement Community. Officer Barry is hereby awarded the life saving bar."

The award was presented at last week's meeting of the Kilgore City Council.