Chambana Sun

State Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Champaign) spent National Police Appreciation Week singing the praises of local officers after one recently came to his rescue.

“We've had a lot of important discussions around law enforcement the last several months, really,” Bennett said. “But I really need to do a special shoutout to Illinois State Police Trooper Joe Detasseling. You may not know him, but I met him last night on 72 on the way here, about 7:30 last night. It was dark. It was raining cats and dogs. As I'm driving down the road, my right front tire hits something. I still don't know what it is, but I got a gash on the right front tire. I had to go off the side of the road.”

Almost out of nowhere, Bennett said, Detasseling appeared.

“The state trooper in his car with the lights flashing pulls up behind me,” he said. “It felt very comforting to know that he was there. State Trooper Joe Detasseling looked at my car, we got out, talked for a minute. He saw the tire. He goes, ‘you got troubles here?’ I said, Yes, sir, I do. So he got the equipment out to change my tire from his car. He had the equipment in his car to fix my tire. He goes, ‘We do this quite a bit. One of the best things I love about my job is that we help people.' That's pretty impressive at 7:30 at night with rain coming down. I held the umbrella and he did a lot of the hard work. I really do need to take a moment and thank him for his efforts. He didn't have to do what he did.”

Bennett isn’t the only Illinois lawmaker now tipping his hat to law enforcement officers.

State Rep. David Syverson recently saluted Rockford officers to mark the occasion.

“In honor of national police week, I’m encouraging you in joining me in recognizing the hard working men and women that make up our police department,” Syverson said in a video posted to YouTube. “National Police Appreciation Week takes place May 9 to 15. The week honors brave individuals that work tirelessly to protect our communities and to uphold peace. This week also pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. I would encourage you take some time to thank our officers for all they do,” he added.

Rockford officers have been called upon to go beyond the call of duty of late in keeping the community safe and orderly.

Authorities recently announced charges against 17 people arrested at protests across the downtown area.