Two Arkansas City Residents Recipients of Good Neighbor Award

ARKANSAS CITY, KAN. (OCT. 19, 2022) — Tuesday evening, two Arkansas City residents were given the Good Neighbor Award during the City Commission meeting. Arkansas City Police Chief Eric Burr presented awards to Samantha Koester and Jaime Lovell.

“There aren’t two better examples of being a good neighbor than the two I will present to you tonight,” Chief Burr said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Koester was recognized for actions on Oct. 8 when her neighbor suffered an accidental gunshot wound to the leg. When Koester, a nurse for eight years, learned of the accident, she quickly called 911, used a towel to put pressure on the wound, and applied a belt as a tourniquet.

Koester was awarded for being cool, calm, and collected under pressure and for rendering effective medical aid during a critical incident.

“If only we could all be so lucky to find the Samantha’s of the world in our times of need,” Chief Burr said.

Lovell, an employee of Four County Mental Health, is partnered with Arkansas City Police Officer Cori Tuxhorn as part of the department’s Crisis Intervention Team. Lovell and Tuxhorn routinely follow up with citizens who have mental illness, substance abuse issues, or are currently homeless.

On Oct. 13, a citizen came to the police department to pick up her personal property after serving time in jail. Upon realizing that the citizen, who is currently homeless, didn’t have shoes on, Jaime removed her shoes to give to the citizen.

“This is a prime example of loving our community and putting the needs of others first. We are very fortunate to have Jaime working with us and serving our community,” Chief Burr said.