Nearly a year after his video demonstration of the dangers of a hot car, Highland Village Police Cpl. Jessie Peterson has received the Texas Law Enforcement Award for Public Service.
Peterson was honored at a ceremony in Austin late last week.
Peterson became well known last summer when he shot a video inside his squad car showing the conditions during a Texas summer. The officer sat for 30 minutes with no air conditioning or windows opened and recalled the difficulty breathing or even thinking straight as temperatures inside reached 130 degrees.
Peterson told NBC 5 he shot the video to raise awareness and help parents see, first-hand, just how dangerous leaving a child in a car for any period of time can be during the summer.
The officer said it was a humbling honor to be around what he called "true heroes" at the award ceremony and to see that his message in the video could also make a difference.
He was also glad to see the award given now to help bring the video back into the public eye as the heat of summer once again begins to swelter.
Only 20 or so officers receive the award yearly out of the more than 100,000 state-wide, Peterson said.
