Waste Management truck driver Alfredo Camacho was surprised by Moreno Valley, CA, Police Chief Joel Ontiveros with a special award presentation on Aug. 22 in recognition of the trucker’s heroic actions that prevented a child abduction.
Surrounded by a group of his peers, Camacho received a special Corporate Security Award from Waste Management while Ontiveros commended him for promptly contacting authorities on the mid-morning of July 25 to report the attempted child abduction of a 12-year-old girl in the city of Moreno Valley.
“As the police chief and a father, I am personally grateful to Mr. Camacho for his actions,” Ontiveros said in an Inland Valley News report. “While this incident could have ended up in a tragedy, instead, the little girl fought her attacker and ran to Mr. Camacho screaming for help. Mr. Camacho’s fast response by calling 911 and providing our dispatch center with an accurate description of the suspect resulted in a quick apprehension of the individual.”
Camacho’s actions serve as a vivid example of how Waste Management’s drivers are an extra set of eyes and ears for authorities throughout Waste Management serviced cities, according to the company based in Houston, TX. Through Waste Management’s Waste Watch program, Waste Management’s corporate security team as well as local authorities, train drivers to recognize and report situations to their dispatcher, who will then relay the information to the appropriate local authorities.
“I cannot express the gratitude we feel that one of our employees witnessed this serious crime and did the right thing,” said Julie Reyes, Waste Management community relations manager. “Alfredo’s heroic actions show how we are more than a service provider, we are a community partner.”
