LA PLATA — When Patrol Officer First Class Mary “Becca” Chaney pulled up to a La Plata nursing home with smoke and fire showing from the roof, the staff had already made it to the parking lot. The residents had not.
Chaney, the first emergency responder to arrive, urged staff members to go back inside with her and with other arriving first responders, and began moving residents out through smoke and fire, the La Plata Police Department said Nov. 3 in naming her its Officer of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2026.
The department’s announcement identified the facility as the Green Acres Nursing Center but did not give the date of the fire. The Chronicle reported on an Aug. 28 fire at the nursing home on La Plata Road, which state fire investigators later identified as Sage Point Nursing and Rehab Center; the facility appears to operate under both names. In that fire, 32 patients were evacuated from the burning wing into another part of the building, and one patient was hurt during the evacuation, officials said at the time.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal traced that fire to an electrical malfunction in an exterior security light that spread into the unsprinklered attic above the 300 wing.
First at a drowning call
The department also cited Chaney’s response to a drowning in a La Plata neighborhood, which it called tragic. She was again the first to arrive.
Initial reports said a young child was missing and that the pool had already been checked with no sign of the child. Chaney trusted her instincts, the department said: she asked for a description of the child, checked the pool herself and found the child at the bottom. She was preparing to go into the water when a bystander went in and brought the child out.
Chaney then helped with attempts at lifesaving care and stepped in when another tense situation developed at the scene, according to the department. The announcement did not give the date of the incident, identify the child or describe the second situation.
Beyond the emergencies
Chaney was also nominated for her leadership in the department’s Special Olympics work, including Torch Run T-shirt sales and other Special Olympics activities. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest year-round fundraiser for Special Olympics, carried out by police agencies across the country.
The department said Chaney brings the same standard to routine work: she turns in reports on time, investigates her cases thoroughly, follows up and “routinely goes the extra mile.”
The department’s post drew more than 300 reactions and dozens of congratulatory comments from residents within hours.
The La Plata Police Department patrols the Town of La Plata, the Charles County seat. In October, the department was reaccredited by CALEA with zero findings, the Chronicle reported.
