IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Celebrate Survivors’ Club Honoree of the Year

On October 25, 2015, at the 122nd IACP Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, the IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club celebrated the 2015 Honoree of the Year, Officer Michael Wrobel from Chicago Police Department’s Gang Enforcement Unit. 

Officer Wrobel was assisting fellow officers who had stopped a vehicle in the Washington Heights area of Chicago when a male passenger in the vehicle opened fire.  The assailant’s gunfire struck Officer Wrobel in the chest and his partner in the leg.  The blunt force of the shot to Officer Wrobel’s chest knocked him backwards as two additional rounds passed by his head.  Both officers were able to return fire to neutralize the threat. Officer Wrobel immediately pulled his partner into his cruiser and rushed him to a nearby medical facility. Officer Wrobel sustained a deep chest contusion during the incident; however, thanks to the use of his body armor, he was able to return to work several days later. 

"The actions by Officer Michael Wrobel were truly heroic," said IACP President, Chief Richard Beary, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. "We are pleased to honor Officer Wrobel for being an example to others for wearing his vest."

“We are proud to be a part of this celebration honoring Officer Wrobel and the thousands of brave law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day,” said Roseann Salasin, Global Business Leader, DuPont Life Protection. “DuPont is committed to producing advanced materials that help to protect those who protect us and it is our hope that these incidences that transform near-fatal scenarios into triumphant stories continue to encourage officers to wear their body armor.”

Since 1987, IACP has partnered with DuPont to honor those police officers who have survived life threatening incidents because of their personal body armor. The award helps to reinforce the use of body armor every day and every shift for officer safety. The award also serves as an agency reminder of the heroic efforts police exhibit in attempting to serve their communities. 

For more information on the IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club please visit www.theiacp.org/survivorsclub. The Survivors’ Club is part of the IACP Center of Officer Safety and Wellness which focuses on the wellbeing of police officers including the physical health, nutrition and exercise, and mental health. For more information visit www.theiacp.org/centerforofficersafetyandwellness.