WHILE MOST of the city slept, Lynchburg police pursued a vehicle that failed to respond to their direction to pull over. The closest responder, Officer Peter Begley, followed the chase’s location on the radio and attempted to catch up as it snaked outside the city limits and back in again. Tires screeched as spike strips stopped the vehicle’s forward motion but not the suspect’s.
Flinging open the passenger door, the woman ran into the early morning darkness toward the James River. Spotlights danced along the river bank, revealing her location in the water. Officer Begley, who never caught up to the chase, arrived minutes later. He knew the woman’s chances of withstanding the chill of the current that swirled around her small frame were not in her favor.
“Hey, keep an eye on my stuff, and give me some light,” Officer Begley said as he slipped off the duty belt, which held his gun, phone, and other tools.
He waded out, his body immediately confirming his suspicions about the river’s temperature. He pulled the woman from a tree branch, the only thing between her and what could have been the last moments of her life, and handed her to the officers of the Lynchburg Police Department lining the embankment.
Reflecting on the rescue later, Officer Begley attributed his quick action to his background and training.
“I was in the Marines, so I know how to swim with a uniform on, and I was the only one there with any type of swim training or defensive tactics in water through the police academy. I think my adrenaline was pumping, chasing the car and trying to catch it,” said Officer Begley.
He continued, “It easily became ‘yes, that person is a criminal, but they need help.’ Even though they’re a criminal, you have to render aid, and I knew this was within my abilities.”
Officer Begley was recognized as Lynchburg’s “Officer of the Month” in April 2024 by the Lynchburg Police Foundation.
The foundation’s website reported, “The river conditions were extremely dangerous, even for an experienced swimmer. Officer Begley’s quick actions that night saved a woman and demonstrated his dedication to the preservation of life as a law enforcement officer. He is being recognized for his bravery and selflessness in rescuing a person in extreme danger.”
The car chase and rescue scene resembled how television and the big screen portrayed law enforcement when Officer Begley was growing up. Those images and his desire to help people fueled his plans to pursue a career in law enforcement. Approaching his 10th anniversary as a police officer this November, he knows the less dramatic side of the job.
“When you see police on the news or videos, whether it’s good or bad, they’re always doing some enforcement thing — fighting somebody in a shootout, something that really draws people’s attention. They don’t show you the other 99% of the time where you’re doing paperwork, filling out reports, sitting at the hospital waiting or waiting in court, or things along those lines. I think going into it, you always think you’re going to help way more people than you do. It still makes me feel good to know that I made a difference, even if it’s the small things like giving someone directions or helping them push their car out of the road.”
Officer Begley likens managing the impact of more violent or tragic incidents to weight training.
“It’s like going to the gym,” he explained. “The more weight you lift, the stronger you get and the more you can handle. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt or stressed out doing it.”
He emphasized that even with experience, the job’s emotional weight remains challenging.
“I thought going into it, ‘Hey, this is fine.’ But it never really is,” Officer Begley admitted.
He relies on a layered support system to manage the stress.
“I have a good structure of friends I can talk to about stuff and my wife,” he said.
Officer Begley also highlighted the department’s resources, including peer support from fellow officers and access to professional counselors who work with the department.
“It’s very important,” he stressed. “I don’t think it’s something we take for granted.”
Regarding his recognition as Officer of the Month for his river rescue, Officer Begley said, “I don’t really like too much publicity on me. It’s a team thing, and we all work together. Without the go-getting attitude and leadership of Officer Logan Skillman and Sgt. Nathan Hendrix, this would never have happened. It’s police officers like that who make our communities better by constantly going out there and finding criminals and bringing them to justice.”
The river rescue may have earned him recognition, but it’s the daily acts of service — big and small — that define his career. Officer Begley’s story reminds us that behind every badge is a dedicated individual striving to make a difference, one small act at a time. GN
