DENVER – A Denver Sheriff Department deputy was awarded with the Medal of Valor Thursday for her actions when she was allegedly attacked by an inmate at the downtown jail.
Deputy Ida McComb was given the award for an incident that happened this year, according to the sheriff’s office, which said she was attacked by the inmate while getting the person something they had requested.
The medal is given to deputies that display “exceptional courage…in the attempt to save or protect others” despite the risk to themselves, according to the department.
The sheriff department said after she was attacked, other inmates came to her defense and she was able to regain control of the housing unit. The department said it could not release further information because of an ongoing investigation but said McComb’s “quick thinking and response redirected a situation that could have spiraled out of control.”
“[McComb] was faced with a very challenging circumstance and with her swift and selfless actions, diffused a volatile situation,” Sheriff Elias Diggins said in a statement.
McComb joined the DSD in March and is an Army Reservist.
