Correctional Sergeant

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

5/24/2017

Special Act Award (Gold)

On May 24, 2017, at 10:20 a.m., in the Pelican Bay State Prison outdoor exercise yard, with approximately three hundred inmates, a one-on-one fight started. When correctional officers responded to the fight to stop the incident, approximately 130 inmates began rushing and attacking the officers. Sergeant Zach Basnett ran into the riot and utilized force to stop the attack. The force did not have the desired effect. As the inmates continued their attack, Sergeant Basnett witnessed one inmate swinging a state-issued baton. Fearing the inmate may continue to batter him or other staff, Sergeant Basnett sprayed the inmate with pepper spray and then reached out and grabbed the baton, yanking it from the inmate's grasp. Sergeant Basnett then collapsed the baton and retained it in his possession as he regrouped with other responding officers. With no regard for his own safety, Sergeant Basnett’s heroic act saved the lives of fellow officers and inmates in the face of a large prison fight. The State of California takes great pride in presenting this Gold Medal of Valor to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Correctional Sergeant Zach Basnett.