Leonard LaBonias grandfather was a Connecticut state trooper in the 1950s, and the 36-year-old father of three cant remember a time when he didnt want to be a police officer.
So after nearly 13 years on the job in Danbury, this is just part of what LaBonia has done:
Hes saved two people, one who was choking on food at a restaurant and the second who was threatening suicide by holding a knife to his own throat.
Hes earned two Medals of Bravery, the first for capturing the gunman from a shooting outside a Mill Plain Road restaurant in 1997 and the other for helping rescue people from a burning building after an explosion on Wildman Street a year later.
Hes been the recipient of several departmental citations and awards, and enough letters of commendation and appreciation to stock a small post office.
On May 7, LaBonia will add the Police Officer of the Year award from the Danbury Exchange Club to the list.
