Saving a life: Albany County Sheriff's Office deputies presented with Life Saving Awards

“We are recognizing both today for the actions that they took,” Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans said during the ceremony. “From this, you see a little bit of the things we do and what we go through to try and keep our community safe both inside and outside the detention center.”

Early on Nov. 22, 2023, the inmate received disciplinary notice and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sheriff detention deputies Austin Decker and Allie Kuhns took it upon themselves to go check in with the inmate.

They arrived at the cell at about 5:52 p.m. and found the inmate with a ligature around the neck in an apparent suicide attempt. The deputies were quick to get into the cell, cut the inmate down and relieve pressure from around the neck — saving the inmate.

“I think this is a good reminder that even though a lot of things that we do might not necessarily be appreciated or even if the inmate doesn’t appreciate it in the long run, it’s nice to see the appreciation here,” Decker said. “ … It’s never too late to talk to an inmate, it’s never too late to check in. I think there’s a lot more inmates in crisis than we realize, but we’re the first line of defense.

Following the incident, their law enforcement peers recognized them for demonstrating the foresight and acknowledged that if not for their quick action the inmate could have succeeded in the attempt.

“It means that we did our job,” Kuhns said. “Suicide prevention is something that I take dear to heart. I have responded to a lot of suicides and it’s just something to be aware of and train our new folks that, yes, they are still human beings and we’ve taken an oath to protect them while they’re in our custody.”