Brown Receives Medal of Valor for Daring Rescue

On Dec. 20, 2009, long after the sun had set, two 23-year-old women struggled for their lives in choppy, frigid water near the Manhattan Beach Pier. Their misguided plans for an evening swim had gone dangerously awry due to a powerful riptide.

Though off duty, Sgt. Brian Brown of the Manhattan Beach Police Department was still hanging around the office when he heard a call come in about the situation at the pier. He rushed to the scene. Despite the dangerous riptide, the cold winter weather, and the possibility of catching hypothermia, Brown grabbed a boogie board and fins, and jumped into the water to rescue them.

"I was careful as I paddled out as I knew it would be difficult to swim in three people from the riptide and I did not want to end up being rescued myself," Brown said Wednesday. 

With the help of Manhattan Beach Police Detectives Andrew Enriquez and Matthew Sabosky—as well as L.A. County lifeguards—Brown was successful in rescuing the girls. Enriquez used a flashlight to provide light and Sabosky ran onto the pier to locate the women.

When Brown reached the women in the water, he placed them onto the boogie board and began to paddle back to shore.

"To go into the ocean at that hour, at the dead of winter, without hesitation means he went beyond his call of duty," said Manhattan Beach Police Chief Robert Uyeda. "We are very fortunate to have him."

He went beyond his call of duty because officers are not trained and are not required to perform rescue missions in water emergencies.

Brown was among the 12 Los Angeles officers and firefighters who received recognition at the 36th Annual Medal of Valor Luncheon on Thursday, May 6. The Medal of Valor is the highest honor possible for a Los Angeles law enforcement officer. The event was sponsored by various South Bay municipalities and chambers of commerce.

Brown was promoted to sergeant at the city's police department in 2004, and he now leads the Detective Bureau. He implemented the Child Predator Investigation Unit and revitalized the Narcotics Investigation Division.

"I make a daily and sincere effort to lead by example," Brown said. "I will not ask an officer to do something I am not willing to do myself."