Homewood Police Chief Larry Burnson and the village board honored officer Thomas Heyne for 20 years of service to the department during the Jan. 8 village board meeting. 

Heyne built a solid reputation for himself over the past two decades, serving as rime prevention officer, DARE officer and member of the South Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team, but Heyne's also a lifesaver. 

Burnson said, in 2004, Heyne was giving a DARE presentation at Millennium School in front of a group of children when one of the kids began choking. Heyne sprung to action, performed the Heimlich maneuver, and saved the child's life.

Heyne also holds a B.S. in economics from Northern Illinois University.

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