By Rummana Hussain
Chicago Sun-Times
COOK COUNTY, Ill. — When Monica and Derrick Rhodes got married nearly two years ago, they promised to stick together in sickness and in health, in good times and bad.
The couple, who are both Cook County Sheriff’s officers, weren’t necessarily thinking about their vows when they saw a mob throwing bricks and bottles at a 15-year-old girl in their South Side neighborhood last fall. But acting quickly and working together, they were able to stop the escalating violence.
“She was amazing,” K9 specialist Derrick Rhodes said Tuesday of his wife’s demeanor that helped save the girl. “She stepped out of the role of being my wife and became my partner.”
The two were named “Deputies of the Year” Monday night by the Illinois Sheriff’s Association for their off-duty bravery.
They had gone out for breakfast Oct. 18 when they saw the brawl. The pair said they acted on years of training when they drew their weapons, ordered everyone to the ground and detained the troublemakers before Chicago Police arrived.
“Someone was going to get hurt,” said Derrick Rhodes, 48. “We have four kids. . . . All I could think was, ‘I am supposed to help.’ ”
Monica Rhodes, 40, a 10-year sergeant, had never used her weapon in the line of duty. “I wouldn’t have picked anybody else to work with that day,” she said.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times