Officer James Duke Receives Theodore Roosevelt Police Award
Metro Police Officer and Chaplain James Duke, who suffered severe damage to his left arm after being dragged for more than a mile by a shoplifter’s car, on June 18 become the latest member of the Metropolitan Police Department to receive the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Award.
The Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Award is given to a police officer who has rendered outstanding and praiseworthy service to the department and the community despite a serious handicap, illness, or injury. Duke received a bust of Roosevelt, a medal, and a $1,000 cash award made possible by corporate sponsor Shoney's. Duke's name is also inscribed on a bronze plaque which bears a likeness of Roosevelt on display in the lobby of police headquarters.
One January 23, 1991, Officer Duke was dragged at speeds between 45 and 60 mph after trying to arrest a shoplifter outside a Gallatin Road department store. After reaching into the suspect’s car to remove keys from the ignition, the driver rolled up the window, trapping Duke’s arms inside. She drove away, with him hanging from the door. Duke managed to wrestle away the steering wheel at least three times during the mile and a half trek to avoid being struck by other vehicles. Throughout the ordeal, the suspect indicated she was going to try to kill Duke by running him into a tractor-trailer or the median of the interstate. Duke was ultimately able to force the car into a ditch and break the window. Buck Dozier, a Metro councilman at the time, actually saw Duke hanging from the window of the moving car and followed it. He was the first person to render aid to the injured officer.
Duke suffered a severed artery in his left arm. A vein was taken from his left leg to repair the damage. It was more than eleven months before he was able to use his hand, and almost 18-months before he could use his police firearm. The nerve damage from that cold January day was so severe that, until this day, Duke has no sensation in his arm and hand. In some ways, however, the most difficult part of his recovery was emotional. Officers who experience near-death injuries have more than just physical wounds. Officer Duke suffered nightmares and anxiety attacks and today realizes his symptoms of shock and distress were perfectly normal.
Today, Duke works in the police department’s Behavioral Health Services Division, which assists officers who have experienced a traumatic event. In addition, Duke, an ordained minister and pastor of St. Paul Primitive Baptist Church, is the police department’s chaplain and is a driving force behind the success of the department’s volunteer chaplain program.
Chief Ronal Serpas said it is the dedication of officers like James Duke who make the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department the absolute best.
“Officer Duke’s unrelenting positive attitude, along with his dedication and devotion to his colleagues and Nashville’s citizens, are a motivation for us all,” Serpas said. “I am tremendously proud of James and his commitment to the police profession.”
The Theodore Roosevelt Association established this awards program in honor of Roosevelt’s distinguished service as President of the Board of Police Commissioners of New York City from 1895 to 1897, and in recognition of his lifelong admiration for the police.
Nashville is one of a small number of cities in the United States to present the Roosevelt Award. Others include New York City, Buffalo and upstate New York, Boston, Long Island, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
“The Metro Police Department is most appreciative that the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s Jim Summerville and his colleagues, along with Shoney’s, take the time to recognize truly outstanding officers and their contributions to our city,” Chief Serpas said.
“All his life, Theodore Roosevelt had an interest in the work of the police, and declared in his autobiography that there were no better people anywhere,” said Theodore Roosevelt Association Trustee Jim Summerville. “The 26th President of the United States would be proud to be in Nashville Wednesday to shake the hand of Officer Duke and shout, ‘Bully!’ ”
Past Metro Police recipients of the Theodore Roosevelt Award were Sgt. Phillip Sage (1998), Detective Clifford Mann (1999), Detective Frank Pierce (2000), Sergeant James (Jimbo) Allen (2001), Officer William Richardson (2002), Detective Joe Cooper (2003), Officer Horace Temple (2004), Officer Foster Hite (2005), Detective Jeff Ball (2006), Officer Dan Alford (2007), and Sergeant Brenda Steinbrecher (2008).
Information about the activities of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is available on the Internet, http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org.
On hand to congratulate Officer James Duke (2nd from right) were former Metro Councilman Buck Dozier, who rushed to Duke's aid on the day he was injured, Theodore Roosevelt Association Trustee Jim Summerville, Shoney's CEO David Davoudpour, and Chief Ronal Serpas.