A local correctional officer has won one of the Officer of the Year awards for saving an inmate’s life.
Todd Morrison, of Piedmont Correctional Institution, located off U.S. 29 between Salisbury and China Grove, was one of 11 officers to receive the award at a ceremony Wednesday.
Officer Morrison’s rounds at the Salisbury prison on the morning of Oct. 5 proved to be anything but normal. As he was making security checks, Morrison discovered an inmate attempting suicide by hanging, and the officer quickly took action to save the inmate.
“Officer Morrison’s selfless act saved an inmate’s life,” W.T. Hargrave, assistant superintendent for custody at Piedmont, said in his recommendation for the award. “The work ethic and heroism on the part of Officer Morrison make him an easy nominee for Correctional Officer of the Year.”
Morrison and the other 10 officers received their awards at a ceremony at the Department of Correction’s training complex in Apex.
Morrison has been with the N.C. Division of Prisons since 2003.