20 Years Later: Arlington Officer Remains Thankful for Colorado Officer’s Life-saving Actions

By Office of Communication

Posted on June 24, 2013, June 24, 2013

Arlington Police Officer Quan Nguyen recently traveled with his family to Colorado to present his personal hero with an honorary life-saving award for rescuing his sister 20 years ago. Officer Nguyen, who was a young boy in 1993, watched as a Colorado police office pulled his sister from a neighbor's swimming pool and performed CPR. Officer Nguyen's sister, Kim Nguyen, was unresponsive for a time but eventually began breathing. Ms. Nguyen, who suffered brain damage in the drowning, was also there last week (Monday, June 10) when her brother wearing his Arlington police honor guard dress uniform presented an honorary life-saving award to Brighton Police Lieutenant Scott Wegscheider during a surprise ceremony at the Brighton Police Department.

The life-saving actions of Lt. Wegscheider 20 years ago prompted Quan to pursue a career in law enforcement. When he and his family moved to Texas, Quan chose the Arlington Police Department and while going through the academy began to reflect on the Colorado officer who inspired him. Quan did not know the officer's name but researched, found Lt. Wegscheider, and invited him to attend his academy graduation in 2010, where they met for the first time as law enforcement colleagues. Lt. Wegscheider pinned Officer Quan's police badge on him. Officer Nguyen has been an officer with the Arlington Police Department for three years, is a member of the Arlington Police Honor Guard and presently working patrol on the midnight shift in the South District.