Marine infantry vet named police officer of the year for stopping school shooting (see video)

Marine infantry veteran Michael Collazo, a detective with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department was awarded the top honor from an international law enforcement organization for moving quickly to stop an active school shooter last year.

Collazo and Police Officer Rex Engelbert both received the Police Officers of the Year award on Monday for their response to the March 27, 2023 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Two other police officers also received the award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, or IACP, which represents more than 34,0000 members in more than 170 countries.

Reached by Task & Purpose on Tuesday, Collazo said he and Engelbert feel blessed to receive the award.

“We accept it for everybody that responded that day,” Collazo said. “It wasn’t just us. Everybody was really involved.”