Past a cliff and multiple trails, a Massachusetts State Police K9 tracked down two missing teenage girls over the weekend in Western Massachusetts, authorities said Tuesday.  Trooper Matt Baird learned around 1:45 a.m. on Saturday that law enforcement in Palmer were searching for two girls, ages 13 and 14, who went missing around 11 p.m., according to a statement from state police.  After receiving an object with the girls’ scents on it, Baird deployed his K9 partner, a dog named Caber, behind the family’s house, the statement said.  Family members crossed over the search area many times looking for the girls, authorities noted, which made tracking more difficult for the dog. “Caber pulled around the house to the street, working northward,” state police said.  “After getting no results, Trooper Baird and Caber turned and worked back on the street in a southward direction.”  The dog ventured across the street to a small cliff when a possum ran in front of him.  Caber, ignoring the wild animal, moved onto a trail, according to state police.  As the trooper and the K9 continued onto a second trail, Caber began to show “increased intensity,” authorities said.  The dog eventually pulled through “thick mountain laurel and displayed a proximity alert," according to police.  “A few feet later, Trooper Baird saw the two girls just ahead, crouched beside a tree,” state police said. “The searchers walked the girls out of the woods and returned them to their home.”  This is not the first successful search Caber has pulled off.  In 2016, the dog helped locate a lost hunter in Petersham after local authorities unsuccessfully deployed a bloodhound in the area of the hunter’s vehicle.

5/28/20

Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter recently announced the recipient of the 2019 Indiana State Police Trooper of the Year. This honor is bestowed upon a deserving Trooper that exemplifies the Department’s high standards and expectations as related to the overall mission. Leadership, productivity, service to the community both on and off duty, and assigned responsibilities are just a few areas taken into consideration when nominated.  The 2019 Indiana State Police Trooper of the Year is Trooper Tyson M. Waldron.  Waldron’s performance and accomplishments during that year are worthy of such recognition and have earned him this award.  Trooper Waldron is a seven-year veteran of the State Police and was appointed on December 21, 2012.  During 2019, Waldron was assigned to the Fort Wayne Post, primarily working a night shift in Allen County.  Waldron, who has been a K-9 handler with his partner Zeus since 2016, is also certified as a drug recognition expert (DRE).  In 2019, Trooper Waldron had 1515 traffic contacts, 31 operating while intoxicated (OWI) arrests (which led the District), 220 criminal arrests (44 of which were for felony crimes), and 124 K-9 usage reports.  While working with his K-9 partner, he seized Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Crack, Ecstasy, and Heroin; six firearms and more than $32,000 in U.S. currency.  Waldron achieved these goals while missing over 38 days while on active military orders and 20 days of time off taken for the birth of his son.  In his nomination, Trooper Waldron was described as a natural leader as exemplified through his genuine courtesy, hard work, and unquestionable integrity.  He is a very proactive, dedicated, and self-motivated Trooper that consistently encourages his co-workers to put forth a maximum effort during their shifts.  Waldron maintains a rigorous fitness routine, keeping himself fit for duty, and motivates others to do the same.  In addition to the duties required by the Indiana State Police while serving the citizens of Indiana, Waldron also serves his country as a soldier in the Indiana National Guard.  His notable 18-year military career has included stateside and overseas deployments, and he currently holds a position at the Regional Training Institute at Camp Atterbury, where he serves as a Company First Sergeant.  First Sergeant Waldron’s overseas service has included deployments to Afghanistan in 2004, and Iraq in 2008, where he earned his Combat Infantry Badge.  He is the graduate of numerous military schools, including: Army Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, Sniper, Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Non-Commissioned Officers Course, Advanced Leadership Course, Senior Leadership Course and Mountain Warfare.  Waldron has a future goal to serve as a District Squad Leader at the Fort Wayne Post, and is currently preparing himself for when that opportunity arises.  He attributes the secret to his success to a strong family support system.

5/28/20

Trooper George Baker succumbed to injuries sustained on May 20th, 2020, when he was struck by a Hammond patrol car while removing stop sticks from the roadway during a vehicle pursuit.  The pursuit started when officers from the Hammond Police Department attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle.  Trooper Baker and another trooper successfully deployed stop sticks on Wardline Road, near the intersection with Kate Street, causing the vehicle to hit them.  As the troopers attempted to remove the stop sticks from the roadway, they were inadvertently struck by a responding Hammond patrol car.  Both occupants in the fleeing vehicle were arrested a short time later.  Both troopers were transported to a local hospital where Trooper Baker succumbed to his injuries on May 24th, 2020.  Trooper Baker's organs were donated upon his death.  The second trooper suffered non-life-threatening injuries.  Trooper Baker was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Louisiana State Police for three years.  He had previously served with the Greensburg Police Department for four years and the St. Helena Parish Sheriff’s Office for three years.  He is survived by his wife, daughter, parents, and sisters.

5/26/20

5/21/2020

The Georgia State Patrol graduated its 108th Trooper School on Thursday, May 14, at the headquarters of the Georgia Department of Public Safety in Atlanta.  After 32 weeks of intense training, 31 new troopers will report to one of the 52 patrol posts throughout the state.   Instead of the traditional graduation, troopers received their patrol vehicles and were issued the Oath of Office by Governor Brian P. Kemp.    Trooper Cadets spend 20 weeks at the academy and 12 weeks in field training.  The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) requires all peace officers receive a minimum of 400 hours of Basic Mandate Training.  At the completion of Trooper School, these newly graduated trooper cadets received over 1,500 hours of training, including driving, defensive tactics, vehicle stops, Spanish, criminal law and criminal procedure, firearms, accident investigation, and various other training.

5/19/20

A Michigan State Police trooper recently ran and walked more than 50 miles in a day.  Trooper Cabria Shirley, of the MSP’s Houghton Lake Post, began her run at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, circling the track at Lake City High School.  By 6:15 a.m. Thursday, Shirley had run and walked the track 212 times for a total of 53 miles.  The number 53 is symbolic, representing the number of MSP troopers who have died in the line of duty since 1921.  Shirley’s run coincides with National Police Week, with Friday, May 15, being Peace Officers Memorial Day.  With each mile she marked, Shirley placed a Blue Lives Matter flag, each bearing the name of a fallen state trooper.  Shirley had purchased the flags and had her fallen comrades’ names added to them herself.  Many of Shirley’s MSP colleagues showed up to show their support, with some running along with her.  Upon finishing her 53rd mile, Shirley was asked why she undertook the grueling endeavor.  “It was a simple decision,” she said.  “The fallen members made the ultimate sacrifice.  Completing those 53 miles was a small token of my gratitude.  I know if given the opportunity, they would have done the same for me.”  First Lt. Travis House, the Houghton Lake Post’s commander, lauded Shirley. “Trooper Shirley has inspired us all,” House said.  “Her efforts on the track have honored our fallen members and their families in a special way.  Her commitment to this undertaking demonstrated courage, and a willingness to sacrifice for others: traits which make her an outstanding trooper and a valuable member of our team at Houghton Lake.”

5/19/20

Two Florida Highway Patrol troopers involved in the pursuit of a stolen car out of Alabama crashed their vehicles Tuesday near the I-10 coronavirus checkpoint where authorities have been stopping travelers during the pandemic.  FHP spokesman Lt. Robert Cannon told the News Journal that two state troopers in two separate FHP vehicles crashed into each other shortly before 10:30 a.m. near the checkpoint.  Both troopers were transported to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  One of the troopers had to be extricated after he was trapped in his wrecked cruiser, Cannon said.  "A trauma alert was initially issued for the trooper who was entrapped, but both troopers are now listed as in stable condition," Cannon said.  

5/14/20

A hiker is lucky to be alive after getting caught in swift river water just as an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer trekking a secluded trail with his wife spotted him and teamed with other good Samaritans to pull him to safety, officials said.  The river rescue drama unfolded on Saturday in the remote Angel Falls wilderness area near Yosemite National Park, the Madera County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.  A 24-year-old Fresno, California, man was hiking in the area along Willow Creek just above Bass Lake around noon, when he tried to wade across the creek, "misjudging the swiftness of the water," the sheriff's office said.  The man, whose name was not released, was quickly knocked off his feet by a strong river current fueled by the snowmelt in the Sierra mountains, according to the sheriff's office.  "The flow overwhelmed and swept him into a whirlpool, which held him under," the statement from the sheriff's office reads.  Here's where the man's luck kicked in.  Brent Donley, an off-duty California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer, just so happened to be hiking on the same trail with his wife, Christina Donley, and saw the man in distress.  Donley is also trained in search and rescue and had ropes with him that came in handy for the life-saving rescue. "The volume of water that moves every second is enormous," Donley told ABC News on Sunday.  "People don't realize."  He said that while the equipment he had wasn't ideal, he worked with what was available to fashion makeshift rescue equipment.  Three men and two women, who were also hiking in the area about 7 miles from the nearest town, Oakhurst, also sprang into action to help in the rescue.  A cellphone video shot by Christina Donley showed her husband tying a rope to a tree branch and tossing it to the hiker a couple of times before the man latched on.  As the other good Samaritans held onto him, Donley pulled the man close to the rocky edge of the creek, and together the group yanked him to safety.  Donley stayed with the man and performed first aid until a search and rescue team from the sheriff's office and an emergency medical services crew arrived and treated the man for minor injuries.  "We sincerely thank Officer Donley for his quick-thinking and preparedness," the statement from the sheriff's office reads.  "This Search and Rescue call could have ended very badly if not for his help."

5/12/20

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was trying to catch a speeder on I-15 in Ogden when he noticed a car swerving.  He thought it might be an impaired driver and decided to let the speeder go and stop the other car.  When he did, he found a five-year-old driver behind the wheel. According to the UHP, the five-year-old boy had gotten into an argument with his mother because she would not buy him a Lamborghini.  That’s when troopers say the five-year-old left.  With $3 in his wallet, he got behind the wheel and started driving.  Towards California.  To buy the car himself.   The boy drove about three miles.  His trip began at 17th Street and Lincoln Avenue.  He then went southbound on I-15 before he was pulled over near the 25th Street offramp around 1:00 on Monday afternoon.   The story went viral once the Utah Highway Patrol posted the story and a photo to their Twitter page, with many people saying the boy looked big for his age.  UHP Sgt. Nick Street confirmed the boy is indeed five years old but the angle at which the photo was taken may have made him look bigger than he is. 

5/7/20

Hundreds of Massachusetts State Police trainees graduated from the academy Wednesday, May 5, in a ceremony that looked very different from years past, due to the coronavirus.  The 240 trainees of the 85th Recruit Training Troop were all wearing face masks as they were sworn in at Gillette Stadium Wednesday afternoon.  The large venue allowed for the troopers to maintain social distancing during the ceremony, which was streamed online so that family and friends could watch.  No spectators were in attendance. In his address to the class, Governor Charlie Baker noted that these graduates are unlike any class before them.  “These trainees are becoming state troopers under truly extraordinary circumstances,” Baker told reporters after the ceremony.  “They’ve overcome obstacles that no other classes had to deal with.”  The trainees completed some of their coursework remotely.  Baker said the troopers join the force “during truly unprecedented times” and defended the large ceremony, saying the state desperately needs them on the roads and in the community.  “I had mixed feelings about whether or not it made sense to do something like this, but I needed to swear them in before they could actually go to work, and I need them to go to work,” Baker said.  “This was deemed as a way to accomplish both of those objectives as quickly as we possibly could.”  The new troopers will begin assignments Monday with the start of a six-week rotational period split between field postings, barracks operations, and further specialized instruction at the Academy. Following that six-week period, the new troopers will be assigned to Field Training Officers for a three-month break-in period.

5/7/20

On May 2, 2020, Lieutenant Charlie Caplinger was off duty with his fishing partner, Mike Redmon in a fishing tournament on Center Hill Lake. Around 10:00 a.m., they stopped to fish a spot when they heard a man talking loudly approximately 100 yards away.  Initially, they thought he was just talking to his fishing partner.  A few seconds later, the man started yelling for help and waving his arms.  Lieutenant Caplinger and Mike immediately responded to the call for help.  When they arrived at the other party's boat, a man said that his son had fallen into the water and could not swim, nor did he have a life jacket on.  Lieutenant Caplinger jumped from his boat onto the other party’s boat.  The son, appearing to be in his late 20's or early 30's, was hanging onto a tree covered in thorns.  The father and Lieutenant Caplinger tried to lift the son back into the boat but were unable to do so.  The other party’s boat began taking on large amounts of water and the rear of the boat started to sink.  Lieutenant Caplinger told the father to go to the front of the boat while Lieutenant Caplinger held onto the son.  Lieutenant Caplinger's fishing partner Mike, held onto the front of the boat to keep it from going further underwater, and threw Lieutenant Caplinger a life jacket for the son.  Due to the circumstances, Lieutenant Caplinger was unable to get the life jacket on the son.  Lieutenant Caplinger instructed Mike to put the boats together and push the boats to shallow water until the son could possibly stand on the bottom of the lake.  Mike was able to push them to the bank, but the son was too exhausted to stand or move.  The son’s lips were purple, and he kept saying, "Please don't let me die.”  After getting close to the bank, Lieutenant Caplinger, with the father's assistance, pulled the son onto the back of his boat where he began to recover.  Lieutenant Caplinger offered to call 911 for an ambulance, but the family declined as the son started warming up and began to become more coherent.  Over the weekend, Lieutenant Caplinger went one step further and checked on the son’s condition twice.  The son is expected to be ok.

5/5/20

New York State Police congratulated Trooper Mark Borden of Troop G for helping a woman who had just given birth. NYSP posted on their Facebook page that Trooper Borden had recently responded to a home in Halfmoon for a woman who was in labor. When Trooper Borden arrived, he reportedly found the mother struggling to hold the newborn baby girl, just after giving birth. NYSP say Trooper Borden immediately jumped in to help and found the baby in distress and not breathing. He reportedly helped the baby clear fluid that had built up in her airway, and after a short time, she was crying. NYSP say the baby girl and her mother are doing just fine.

5/5/20

Our community is stronger because we are together during this difficult time.  FHP Troopers from Troop F and other first responders surprised Anabella and Valerie with a surprise birthday drive by.  Happy birthday, girls!

4/30/20

An Illinois State Police trooper was injured Saturday when his squad was struck while he was parked at the scene of a crash on Interstate 290 east of York Road near Elmhurst, according State Police news release.  The District 2 trooper sustained non-life threatening injuries, was transported to an area hospital for treatment and released, the release stated.  The incident took place at about 4:40 p.m. when the trooper responded to a call for a stranded truck tractor semi-trailer on westbound Interstate 290.  The trooper positioned his squad car behind the semi to block the two left lanes of traffic to protect the disabled motorist.  An Illinois Department of Transportation [IDOT] Minuteman Truck arrived moments later to assist with relocating the stalled semi.  The trooper was inside the squad car, positioned behind the Minuteman Truck and the stranded motorist when a gray Nissan failed to yield right of way to the emergency vehicle and struck the rear of the squad car, according to the release.  The impact caused the squad car to spin clockwise, pushing it into the middle lane of traffic.  No other drivers or vehicles were involved in this crash, the release stated.  Scott’s Law, otherwise known as the Move Over law, requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when it is safe to do so when approaching an emergency vehicle or any vehicle with their hazard lights activated.

4/30/20

To All,

We know that you have been receiving many emails related to the COVID-19 crisis.  The MSP leadership team wanted to do something more personal and to use a different communication format.   The video message, available through the below link, is our attempt at that.  Thank you to the MSP Media Unit for both their production work and patience as this came together.  We are grateful and proud of the work you are accomplishing during these trying times.  I want to thank you for your brave work and for your continued commitment and dedication to the Commonwealth.

 The link is: https://www.massstatepolicephotos.com/VideosMSP-Personnel/2020/Colonel-Christopher-Mason-Message-to-Department-Members/n-BLqr7D/i-nqVw2VM/A

 4/23/20