Officer of the Year Had an Eventful One

A Novato police officer involved in several dramatic incidents last summer is Marin County's peace officer of the year for 2002.

In July, Officer Jeff Ames, who joined the department last year, performed CPR on a 2-year-old girl after a television set fell on her head. The girl survived. In August, a man shot at him during a classic car show. He helped arrest the 48-year-old gunman, who pleaded guilty last month to a charge of attempted murder.

Ames pulled a man from the wreckage of his car after it slammed into a tree. The man lived long enough for his family to make it to his side before he died.