Law enforcement officers can enter the unknown on every call. From routine traffic stops and traffic collisions to moments when lives are on the line—including their own—each day can bring something different. On September 19, 2018, University Police Department Officer Alex Scott responded to a call that he and business administration major Leo Pimentel will never forget. A 15-year veteran of UPD’s police force, Scott responded to Whitney Hall, the University’s largest residence hall, late at night to check on a student who was found unconscious in a restroom. Upon entering, Scott found Pimentel slumped over, extremely pale, and lips blue. “The minute I got there, I could just tell it was a medical,” Scott said, noting that he feared the worst. He instinctively instructed the other students to leave the area, then dropped to the floor to search for signs of life in Pimentel. After looking for a pulse, administering a sternal rub, and checking the young man’s pupils, Scott struggled to find signs of life. He ordered his partner to retrieve a respirator while he began doing compressions. Chico Fire Department quickly arrived with a respirator, and paramedics rotated in shortly after with a defibrillator. Scott left the restroom and began taking his report, interviewing the visibly shaken students and the floor’s resident advisor. “We were treating this as a death,” Scott said, recalling the sadness he felt. “You know, that sticks with you.” Meanwhile, paramedics transported Pimentel to Enloe Medical Center, where he soon registered a faint heartbeat but fell into a coma. Over the ensuing days, Scott’s thoughts of Pimental weighed heavily on his mind and he called the hospital regularly to check on him, hoping his condition would turn around. Finally, he emerged from his coma and began breathing on his own, eventually making a full recovery. The cause of his cardiac arrest was ultimately determined to be an underlying and previously undiagnosed heart condition. Enloe staff reported that the chest compressions Scott performed were instrumental in saving Pimentel’s life. This week, the California State University honored Scott by commending him with a Life Saving Medal—one of the highest honors awarded by the 23-campus CSU system. The Board of Trustees created the award in 2018 to honor university police officers who “go above and beyond the course of normal duties and result in honor being brought to themselves, their campus, and the CSU.” Hesitant to accept any praise, Scott explains his role a bit more humbly. “I just did my job,” he said. “I just did what I’ve been taught to do over the years.” “I thought, ‘Do I really want to do this? Do I really want to do law enforcement for 30 years?’” he said. “I went on a few more ridealongs, and the more I talked to him, I thought, ‘This is actually pretty cool.’” Scott applied for and was accepted to the Butte College Law Enforcement Academy—where he admits he was a little starstruck.