Three Las Vegas police officers with ties to PACS were honored during the OU-Iowa State football game Saturday. The three, all members of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, were first-responders during the tragic mass shooting Oct. 1 in Las Vegas.
Accompanied by their wives, the officers were introduced in the south end zone during the first quarter of the game. Welcomed with roaring cheers and a standing ovation for their heroic actions were Capt. Chris Tomaino, Officer Tim Frederick and Officer Jason Rich.
Tomaino holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from PACS. He’s been with the LVMPD for 24 years. He’s in his fifth year as captain and currently serves as the commanding officer of SWAT.
Rich, a police officer with LVMPD, holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative leadership from PACS and currently is enrolled in the PACS Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership program.
Frederick, an LVMPD police officer assigned to the department’s events planning section, is a PACS adjunct faculty member who teaches the Understanding Management course. He also serves as a captain in the Nevada Army National Guard.
Attending an OU football game was a lifelong goal for all three officers and was planned since the beginning of the school year.
“We were honored to recognize these fine PACS alumni and students for their heroic efforts and were so grateful for the opportunity to do so,” said PACS Interim Dean Martha Banz. “They embody the finest qualities we strive to foster in our graduates—self-sacrifice, courage, honor, respect, compassion, civic duty—and we are so very, very proud to call them Sooners.”
