Scottsdale police earn national award

Scottsdale Police Communications Supervisor Derrik Gregg was presented with the Critical Response Award on Wednesday, March 13, for his actions that saved a life this past September.

On Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at approximately 2:38 in the morning, Gregg received a 911 call that disconnected shortly after he answered. Gregg was able to use Rapid Deploy, a mapping software, to locate the caller, and realized the caller was in a vehicle based on how their location moved.

Gregg entered a call for service for the 911 call and attempted to make contact with the caller again. He also used Rapid Deploy to pull emergency contact information put into a smartphone by the caller.

This returned the phone owner’s name, parent’s contact information, and her home address.

On Gregg’s second call to the phone, a female answered and immediately stated that she would call him back. Gregg said this was not normal and set off red flags, and officers were inbound.

Officer Joseph Vazquez and trainee Anthony Accurso effected a stop on a vehicle and Gregg was able to confirm the license plate matched information pulled from Rapid Deploy. Vazquez and Accurso, with other officers and a sergeant backing them up, approached the vehicle and realized the female passenger needed medical attention.

An investigation revealed that the male driver had run over the female passenger prior to leaving with her in the vehicle from a bar in Scottsdale. The female had been unable to speak freely because she was afraid of the driver.

Officers saw scrapes on the female’s knees, prompting a more thorough investigation in which it was determined that she had broken fingernails, bloody hands, cuts and had been run over by the driver.

This call came to a successful ending due to the quick actions by Supervisor Derrik Gregg. He recognized the possibility that the caller had an emergency but was unable to verbalize it due to a dangerous situation. He utilized Rapid Deploy and noticed movement northbound in the few seconds the caller was on the line. This gave him enough information to start the call while he attempted to make contact.

Rapid Deploy awards this national honor on a quarterly basis to police around the country. Rapid Deploy CEO and co-founder Steven Raucher flew out to deliver the award himself.