The Spring Valley Police Department’s first Haitian officer has died at the age of 66.

Retired part-time Officer Francisque ‘Frank’ Demetrius began working for the department in February 1983, and served the Spring Valley community until 2002, according to a Facebook post from the Spring Valley Police Department.

Demetrius was the first Haitian police officer in the Spring Valley Police Department, and was given numerous awards during his career. He received accolades for acts of heroism including saving a woman’s life and rescuing people from a burning building.

He was also a correctional officer for the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department. In 1999, he was chosen to be part of an International Police Task Force to help train and mentor members of Haiti’s police force.