Rochester Police Officer Nicole Amatore has been named New York's 2026 Police Officer of the Year for stopping a gunman who wounded three officers during a December response to a domestic emergency, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
Amatore came under fire when she reached the scene Dec. 19, 2025. She took cover behind a tree, returned fire and stopped the gunman, according to the governor's office. One of his rounds struck the tree, and all three wounded officers survived.
Rochester response began with a 911 call
Police had been called by a woman who said her armed, estranged partner was trying to enter the home where she and her children lived. Two responding officers found the man outside a first-floor window and ordered him to show his hands, the state's account says.
The man instead drew a gun and shot both officers, then fled on foot. Several blocks away, he encountered a third officer and shot that officer, too, before Amatore arrived and exchanged fire with him.
The governor's announcement did not identify the gunman or describe his final medical or legal status. Its account centers on Amatore's actions and the survival of the three injured officers.
Amatore has served with the Rochester Police Department since 2019 and is the department's second member to receive the state Police Officer of the Year honor. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and Police Chief David Smith praised her response in statements released with the award.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services presented the honor on Hochul's behalf during its annual Public Safety Symposium. The state describes it as its highest award for police officers and says it recognizes exceptional valor. The annual award was established more than 40 years ago.
Two other officers receive lifesaving awards
The state also recognized Trooper Thomas Stiehler of Troop G and Suffolk County Police Sgt. Robert Griffith with Lifesaving Awards. The division created that award in 2016 for officers whose actions save a life during an emergency.
Stiehler responded to a report of gunfire in Albany on July 4, 2025, and found a building on fire. Though he lacked protective equipment and firefighter training, he entered with other officers to search for occupants. He climbed several flights of stairs, broke down the door of an older woman who could not walk on her own and carried her out as smoke thickened.
On July 13, 2025, Griffith and Suffolk County Police Officer Jovanni Johnson found a man with severe wounds to his neck and hands after a reported fight involving a knife. They began emergency medical care, but the suspected attacker emerged from nearby woods and charged toward the wounded man with a knife raised, according to the state.
Griffith fired three shots, causing the attacker to fall and drop the knife, which grazed the victim. He then moved the injured man to safety. The governor's announcement did not provide the attacker's subsequent medical or legal status.
Family members and colleagues attended the ceremony for the three honorees. The state says every Police Officer of the Year nominee receives a Certificate of Exceptional Valor from the governor.
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