Two Bensalem Police officers were recognized for their extraordinary service and life-saving actions at Monday night’s Council meeting.
Officer Mark Wildsmith was honored as the 2025 Bensalem Township Police Department officer of the Year.
Over the past year, Wildsmith demonstrated exceptional dedication to the community. His accomplishments include successfully handling a life-threatening critical incident, saving a man’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver, assisting a suicidal veteran as part of the Bucks County Veterans Response Team, and arresting a suspect during a traffic stop who was in possession of a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” making it fully automatic, said officials.
Wildsmith also helped develop the department’s Jiu-Jitsu defensive tactics training program. He previously served as a Philadelphia Police Officer and is a proud United States Army veteran.
The second officer honored was Kristopher Harley who was recognized for his heroic actions during a call to a local hotel. When alerted that a child had drowned in the pool, Harley, officials said, immediately located the unresponsive child and began CPR. Through his quick and decisive actions, the child regained consciousness and began breathing on his own.
The child has since made a full recovery, officials said.
It was especially meaningful to have the two survivors in attendance at the meeting to personally thank the officers who saved their lives, officials noted.