Copperas Cove Officer Baez Honored for Saving Infant With CPR

Officer Baez of the Copperas Cove Police Department arrived first on scene in early March to find an infant not breathing, began CPR without delay, and kept the child alive until the baby started breathing again before EMS arrived to take over.

The Copperas Cove Police Department confirmed the sequence: Baez was the first responder to a medical call reporting an infant in respiratory distress, administered CPR immediately upon arrival, and maintained compressions until the child's breathing resumed on its own. EMS then transported the infant to a hospital for further care. The child is reported to be "doing well."

The police department put Baez's actions in plain terms: "His quick response, decisive actions and commitment to serving others made all the difference in a moment that truly mattered." The department added, "We are incredibly proud of him and the work he does for this community every day."

That the infant began breathing before EMS arrived is the medically significant detail in this story. The American Heart Association has documented that immediate CPR can double or triple a victim's chances of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac or respiratory arrest. For infants, the first minutes without oxygenated blood flow are the most dangerous; Baez's compressions bridged exactly that gap.

On April 2, the Copperas Cove Rotary Club recognized Baez at a public ceremony, giving the community its first detailed public account of a rescue that had unfolded quietly weeks earlier. The Rotary Club of Copperas Cove Noon, whose president Norm Mitchell has led the organization through years of local service work, regularly honors community contributions ranging from youth education to civic safety efforts.

For parents, grandparents, and childcare providers in Coryell County, Baez's response is a reminder that police officers are often the first hands on a scene, but rarely the only people who could act. Infant CPR training is available in the Copperas Cove and Killeen area through Hope CPR TX, reachable at 512.608.5991 or hopecprtx@gmail.com. The American Heart Association's Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED course, built specifically for non-medical caregivers, covers infant compression depth and rate and is typically completed in a half-day.

Baez's March call is now part of how Copperas Cove talks about what its officers train for, and what its neighbors can learn to do before any officer arrives.