• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • Developing and enhancing assertiveness
      Clarifying your “true north”
      The job has changed — have you?
      Perpetual recognition of line-of-duty deaths
      Understanding the boundaries of professional relationships with the...
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • Developing and enhancing assertiveness
        Clarifying your “true north”
        The job has changed — have you?
        Perpetual recognition of line-of-duty deaths
        Understanding the boundaries of professional relationships with the...
    • Editor’s Picks
      • Smile and let them swing
        The job has changed — have you?
        The days that follow
        Perpetual recognition of line-of-duty deaths
        Let’s get moving!
    • On the Job
      • NYPD officer’s lifesaving actions inspire law enforcement career
        Sharp eyes save eagle
        Frankpledge to forensics
        Coffee shop intel
        Curbing teen takeovers
    • Labor
      • Why more staff won’t fix your operational slowdowns
        Drama in Georgia: Mayor fires entire police department for...
        Smile and let them swing
        The Promise Gap
        Cut the cops, save a dollar?
    • Tech
      • The virtual beat
        Training with an AI partner?
        NYC’s electric vehicle fleet for LE passes milestone
        New Mexico license plate readers save lives, lead to “precise...
        A modern field guide to understanding research in policing
    • Training
      • What fentanyl’s WMD classification means for field detection and...
        Rules or results?
        Enhance your preparedness
        Good enough never is
        Pushback as a training signal
    • Policy
      • Minneapolis mayor ordered to meet police staffing mandate
        New Hampshire’s new bail notification system closes gaps between...
        Not just for the range anymore
        The impact of the Graham v. Connor decision
        Mexican cartels recruit like industry titans on both sides of the...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Supporting your peer support team
        Down to divorce
        The days that follow
        Addressing stress, vicarious trauma and burnout
        Nervous system regulation
    • Community
      • Texas sheriff’s office nominates 7-year-old for commendation
        Cops try to net DEA agents
        A different type of teen takeover
        Working community connections
        Cops promote National Donate Life Month
    • Offbeat
      • “Teenage Mutant Ninja Deer” rescued
        An unexpected burglar
        Police humor only a cop would understand
        Not eggzactly a perfect heist
        Pizza … with a side of alligator?
    • We Remember
      • Unsung heroes: New York City correction officers
        National Police Week 2026
        Shooting of Chicago police officers prompts call for new regulations...
        The sacrifice continues
        A Tribute to Fallen Heroes
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • NYPD officer’s lifesaving actions inspire law enforcement career
      Sharp eyes save eagle
      Frankpledge to forensics
      Coffee shop intel
      Curbing teen takeovers
  • Labor
    • Why more staff won’t fix your operational slowdowns
      Drama in Georgia: Mayor fires entire police department for...
      Smile and let them swing
      The Promise Gap
      Cut the cops, save a dollar?
  • Tech
    • The virtual beat
      Training with an AI partner?
      NYC’s electric vehicle fleet for LE passes milestone
      New Mexico license plate readers save lives, lead to “precise...
      A modern field guide to understanding research in policing
  • Training
    • What fentanyl’s WMD classification means for field detection and...
      Rules or results?
      Enhance your preparedness
      Good enough never is
      Pushback as a training signal
  • Policy
    • Minneapolis mayor ordered to meet police staffing mandate
      New Hampshire’s new bail notification system closes gaps between...
      Not just for the range anymore
      The impact of the Graham v. Connor decision
      Mexican cartels recruit like industry titans on both sides of the...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Supporting your peer support team
      Down to divorce
      The days that follow
      Addressing stress, vicarious trauma and burnout
      Nervous system regulation
  • Community
    • Texas sheriff’s office nominates 7-year-old for commendation
      Cops try to net DEA agents
      A different type of teen takeover
      Working community connections
      Cops promote National Donate Life Month
  • Offbeat
    • “Teenage Mutant Ninja Deer” rescued
      An unexpected burglar
      Police humor only a cop would understand
      Not eggzactly a perfect heist
      Pizza … with a side of alligator?
  • We Remember
    • Unsung heroes: New York City correction officers
      National Police Week 2026
      Shooting of Chicago police officers prompts call for new regulations...
      The sacrifice continues
      A Tribute to Fallen Heroes
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

On the Job

Phoenix officer takes emergency call with wife on a ride-along as his partner

APB Team Published March 9, 2022 @ 12:00 pm PST

(Phoenix P.D.)

A Phoenix police officer took his wife on a ride-along with him when he got a call about a car crash that led to a family trapped in a canal.

It was only the second time Phoenix Police Sergeant Jason Malecki took his wife, Allison Malecki, on a ride-along, and no doubt she got more than she bargained for when her husband received the call that a vehicle with a family — including a child — had rolled over into the canal.

“I was patrolling Maryville. It was a slow night,” Malecki recalled. That’s when the call came in.

Malecki, closest to the accident, immediately responded — with his wife as a partner.

Officers were not sure how the car ended up there, but did say it was extremely dark and narrow in the area.

When Officer Malecki and his wife — who works as a librarian — arrived on the scene, they immediately began their rescue.

“I jumped out of the car. She jumped out of the car,” Malecki remembered.

The heroic rescue was captured on body camera footage.

“Yep, hang on! I’m going to help you right now! I’ve got you, hang on, hang on!” Malecki replied to the family trapped in the water yelling for help. Then he turned to his wife.

“He’s got kids and everything in there, so we’re going to grab some rope and see if we can get them out,” Malecki said.

“I’m going to need your help here because I don’t know what I’m going to get into and how I’m going to get these people out,” he said.

Two adults and a 3-year-old girl were trapped in the car, which was stuck in the rushing water.

“It was a full-size Dodge Durango on its side with the water rushing around it. The airbags were deployed, the headlights were on. It was really shocking to see,” Allison Malecki said.

A backup patrol arrived shortly after to offer assistance. Their main priority was getting the 3-year-old girl to safety.

Using a rope to climb down, officers were able to secure the crying child and pass her along to Malecki, who then passed her to his wife, who was waiting to receive her on the bank while he continued to assist with the rope to make sure his squad was safe.

“Come here, honey, I’ve got you. I’ve got you. You’re OK; you’re OK, come here. I’ve got you,” Malecki could be heard saying as the girl was handed to his wife.

All three people in the vehicle were rescued with minimal injuries.

“We did it without even saying anything. We all just knew what we had to do,”  Malecki said.

Phoenix P.D.

Categories: On the Job Tags: Sgt. Jason Malecki, Allison Malecki, trapped in canal, emergency call, rescue, hero, body camera footage, car accident, Phoenix Police Department, ride-along

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Texas sheriff’s office nominates 7-year-old for commendation
  • NYPD officer’s lifesaving actions inspire law enforcement career
  • Cops try to net DEA agents
  • Minneapolis mayor ordered to meet police staffing mandate
  • New Hampshire’s new bail notification system closes gaps between courts and cops
  • National Law Enforcement Museum announces digital exhibit exploring 250 years of American law enforcement
  • A different type of teen takeover
  • Sharp eyes save eagle
  • What fentanyl’s WMD classification means for field detection and response protocols
  • Not just for the range anymore

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Smile and let them swing

Smile and let them swing

May 16, 2026

The job has changed — have you?

The job has changed — have you?

May 15, 2026

The days that follow

The days that follow

May 11, 2026

Perpetual recognition of line-of-duty deaths

Perpetual recognition of line-of-duty deaths

May 10, 2026

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2026 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.