BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Officer Ty Elmendorf has spent 24 years patrolling the streets of Bellingham.
He's seen just about everything, but hasn't always been prepared for it.
"The worst thing for police is to come across a situation where we feel helpless," he said.
Police are often the first to arrive at a medical call, and while they're trained in basic life saving, they're not medics.
"To not have a piece of equipment you need and be waiting for a rig to show up with it is tough," said Elmendorf.
In this case, that piece of equipment is a portable defibrillator or AED. The devices can shock someone back to life if they are in cardiac arrest.
The devices have been on the Bellingham Police Department's wish list for years.
Now the wait for them is over.
Byron Sprague, who sits on the Police Chief's Advisory Council, comes from a fire department family and knows how important an AED can be.
With that in mind, he helped raise $30,000 to outfit all 21 of Bellingham's patrol cars with the devices.
Roger Jobs Motors and People's Bank of Bellingham were the main contributors.
"Minutes will determine whether somebody survives a sudden cardiac event," said Sprague. "Having this equipment is going to save lives."
Nobody knows that better than Officer Elmendorf, whose dad died two years ago on a family vacation in Hawaii from sudden cardiac arrest.
"I received a call from EMS personnel on the island of Kauai," said Elmendorf. "I've had to make that call and it's never one you want to receive."
But thanks to the AED donation, he hopes far fewer people will get that call.
"If we have a piece of equipment in our patrol car that can maybe save a life, maybe keep the cops from having to make that death notification, it's a no brainer. We're beyond grateful."