Ariz. police given 6 life-saving AEDs for patrol cars

By Carmen Duarte
Arizona Daily Star

MARANA, Ariz. — The Marana Police Department will be presented Friday with six automated external defibrillators to be used by patrol officers.

The Steven M. Gootter Foundation is making the presentation at an 11:30 a.m. news conference at the Marana Police Substation at 5100 W. Ina Road.

The devices, along with CPR or chest compressions, can save lives. An AED delivers an electrical shock through the chest to the heart of a person who has suffered cardiac arrest or arrhythmia.

“Police officers are often first on the scene when a cardiac event is reported,” said Sgt. Chris Warren, a Marana Police Department spokesman.

He said that “by placing AEDs in patrol cars with officers who have been trained on how to use these devices, there is a greater chance the cardiac victim can be saved.”

In addition to members of the foundation, Marana officials including Mayor Ed Honea and Police Chief Terry Rozema are expected to be at the news conference.

Since July 2009, the foundation has distributed more than 110 AEDs to schools, churches and recreational centers, Warren said.

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