A 4-year-old battling cancer was welcomed into the New Jersey State Police family as an honorary trooper. Sophia Colavito was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that has since spread to the lining of her brain and her spine, which caused her to lose sight in her right eye. She is an enthusiastic law enforcement supporter who collects police patches. When State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan heard Sophia's story, he immediately invited her to visit the division headquarters in West Trenton. Earlier this week, he was joined by Governor Phil Murphy and a contingent of police officials to welcome the family and surprise Sophia by officially making her an Honorary New Jersey State Trooper. The colonel spent time with Sophia and her family, leading them on a tour of the NJSP log cabin and Regional Operations Intelligence Center. "We were honored to host Sophia and her family today," the department wrote on Facebook. "She continues to inspire all of us in the State Police family. Now that she is officially an Honorary New Jersey State Trooper, she will forever remain a part of our family, because 'Once a Trooper, Always a Trooper.'" He also told Sophia how much her strength, courage and optimism have inspired him. 

You can see the video at: https://abc7ny.com/society/4-year-old-battling-cancer-becomes-honorary-nj-state-trooper/7182979/

Amanda Ray has served on the California Highway Patrol since 1990 and has donned eight uniformed ranks within the department. On Tuesday, she was named the first woman to lead the CHP as commissioner, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday. She will fill the role for Commissioner Warren Stanley, who is retiring Nov. 16. Ray, has served as cadet, officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief, chief and assistant commissioner. She was also Special Response Team Tactical Commander at the California Highway Patrol for Superbowl 50 in 2016. "I would like to thank Governor Newsom for the outstanding opportunity to lead this great Department and to continue to work each day with the women and men of the California Highway Patrol," Ray said in a Tuesday statement. "I couldn't be more honored and proud to accept this appointment and further the CHP's mission of providing the highest level of Safety, Service and Security, and ensuring California is a safe place to live, work and travel." "I am confident that Deputy Commissioner Ray will be a crucial partner as we continue the important work ahead to strengthen community engagement in public safety and advance reforms to our criminal justice system that will help foster a more just and inclusive future for all Californian," Newsom wrote Tuesday. Stanley has been with the CHP since 1982 and has held every rank in the department, including Lieutenant of the Border Division Investigative Services Unit and Commander of the California Highway Patrol Academy. "I'm very proud of my career, but what I'm most proud of is the current and past CHP employees who I have had the privilege and honor to work with," Stanley said in a Tuesday statement. "All of you are the primary reason I believe the CHP is one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world. I also want to thank Governor Newsom for his support of me, the 11,000 women and men of the CHP and for selecting Deputy Commissioner Amanda Ray as the next CHP Commissioner." During his service, Stanley worked on several highway and traffic safety initiatives, including the Impaired Driving Section, which revised enforcement policies consistent with the use of cannabis when it became legal. He also pushed for research on the drug to see how it affected the ability to drive. "As the leader of the fifth-largest law enforcement agency in the country, Commissioner Stanley championed causes to enhance public safety for everyone who travels on California's roads and freeways," Newsom wrote in a Tuesday statement. "We are grateful for his forward-looking vision and pursuit of innovative strategies to prevent injuries and save lives."

10/26/2020

Anne Carpenter has been appointed colonel of the Nevada Department of Safety, Highway Patrol Division, making history as the first woman to hold the position. "I am humbled to be appointed Colonel of the Nevada Highway Patrol, and work alongside the men and women who have dedicated their lives to public safety," said Carpenter in a press release. "I look forward to working together with our partnering agencies and community members to ensure the safety and protection of every life on Nevada roadways." Carpenter will oversee 492 sworn officers and 96 non-sworn personnel, according to a press release. Her career with the DPS began in 1995. She rose through the ranks and served as an officer, sergeant and major.  She recently served as a chief and oversaw 330 sworn officers and 264 non-sworn personnel, according to a press release. The previous colonel, David Solow, announced his retirement earlier this month.

The agency said it will welcome Skipper, a 4-year-old German Short Haired Pointer, to the K9 team during a ceremony at the Department of Public Safety Headquarters. The name is meant to honor Sgt. Ben Jenkins, who was killed in the line of duty in March when he stopped to help an apparently stranded driver near Ely. NHP says Jenkins was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and boating, the last of which earned him the nickname "Skipper." Jenkins also worked as a K9 handler for a time while in the Highway Patrol, partnered with a Belgian Malinois named Thor. Skipper the K9 will officially take part in a graduation ceremony and brief demonstration on Thursday.

10/19/2020

A new Ohio Turnpike sign located at milepost 69.9 westbound in Wood County was dedicated to its namesake Tuesday morning at the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) Bowling Green Post. Rep. Haraz Ghanbari hosted the ceremony and honored OSHP Sgt. Frederick A. Raby, whose name is featured on the sign, for his bravery in a brush with death 30 years ago. "Just over thirty years ago, on Sept. 1, 1990, State Highway Patrol Sergeant Raby was critically injured in a traffic accident on the Ohio Turnpike near mile marker 70 in Wood County," Ghanbari described. "He was in his patrol car which was stopped behind a violator on the right berm with flashing lights in full operation. Another vehicle traveling at full speed drove off the roadway and struck his patrol vehicle from behind." Raby was life-flighted to the former Medical College of Ohio with severe head trauma, a broken neck, a broken hip and shoulder and leg injuries. "At one point the doctors gave him a five-percent chance of survival. But Fred was physically fit, an Army veteran and he had a strong will to live. He slowly improved and was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Howell, Michigan which specialized in traumatic brain injuries. He spent a year there and was then transferred to the Eisenhower Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a longer-term TBI facility where he continued to receive care and therapy." The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Memorial Sign Program has honored 12 people who perished on the job during services for the Ohio Turnpike and OSHP since 2018. Move Over Ohio requires all drivers to move over one lane while passing any roadside vehicle stopped with flashing or rotating lights.

Article By William Westhoven reporter for the Dailyrecord.com

When the New Jersey State Police celebrates its centennial next spring, one young trooper will be able to trace his family's service in "the Outfit" all the way back to the Prohibition era.

Trooper Brian R. Turner, who graduated with the department's 160th class on Sept. 4, follows his father, William G. Turner, Jr., who enlisted in 1982 and retired in 2012 as a detective sergeant first class.

Father and son followed in the footsteps of Brian's grandfather, Capt. William G. Turner Sr., who joined up in 1958 and retired in 1987; and his great-grandfather, Sgt. John M. Turner, who hit the beat in 1930 and retired as the Netcong Station commander in 1957.

"It's pretty cool how there's four generations," the youngest Trooper Turner said. "I'm honored to wear the uniform and the fact that I had three generations ahead of me do it, it's neat."

Four consecutive family generations of State Police service is unprecedented in New Jersey, according to retired Lt. George J. Wren, Jr., vice president of the Association of Former New Jersey State Troopers, and editor of its True Blue & Gold newsletter.

The Turner ties to the department extend to another graduate of the 160th class: Brian’s first cousin, Trooper Michael A. Turner. They share the legacy of their paternal grandfather and great-grandfather.

"Troopers Brian and Michael Turner have 82 years of combined honor, duty and fidelity to live up to," Wren said. "I’m sure they will handle themselves in true Turner-State Police fashion."

The cousins also bunked together as 16-year-olds when they attended the New Jersey State Police 94th Trooper Youth Week training in 2013.

"That was a great time, to really get a feel for how a recruit lives for a week," Brian Turner said. "It was very similar to what the real deal is. You learn quick. I thought it was awesome. I wanted more."

Some seven years later on Sept. 4, he received badge No. 8535 in a ceremony at Arm & Hammer Stadium in Trenton. His cousin was given badge No. 8536. Most of their family and friends had to watch an online feed of the ceremony due to COVID-19 distancing restrictions.

"Each recruit got two tickets," said Brian Turner, who invited his mother and girlfriend. "I had a third because my dad was presenting me my badge."

"It was a little different with the coronavirus, so I wasn't actually able to give him his badge," said his father, William Turner Jr. He was able to walk on the field with Gov. Phil Murphy, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, and Col. Patrick Callahan, the state police superintendent. "The colonel and I saluted Brian when his name was announced, and that took the place of giving him his badge," William Turner said.

It was a special moment for the entire family.

"We're extremely happy and proud," said William Turner. "It's not like we planned this. It just happened. You just wake up in the morning and shake your head. It's unbelievable."

Brian Turner said he was not pushed into uniform, but he's proud to carry on the family tradition, along with his brother, William Turner III, a five-year veteran of the Roxbury Police Department.

"Growing up, I was just always around the blue and gold," he said. "I applied to a bunch of local departments and they didn't work out. Then I had the opportunity with the State Police, and my dad was beyond excited. It's funny how things worked out."

Brian Turner "is now carrying on the tradition and legacy that his great-grandfather, Sgt. John M. Turner, began 90 years ago and 7,962 troopers later,” Callahan said.

A Blairstown resident, Turner is a 2014 graduate of North Warren High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting and business management from East Stroudsburg University. He later served as a football coach at North Warren.

Having completed two weeks of post-graduate training, Turner took his first shift out of the Somerville Station on Saturday.

"It was awesome," he said Wednesday. "I couldn't wait to get back in."

As a rookie trooper, Turner said he is sticking to the best piece of career advice his father gave him: "Be a sponge."

"Pay attention," his father told him. "It's not your time to talk. It's your time to listen."

His grandfather's advice?

"He was always big on hard work and being dedicated, basically the State Police values, having honor and carrying yourself with integrity," Brian Turner said of his grandfather, who died in 2012. "It's kind of a ripple effect in my family. It got passed down from my great-grandfather to my grandfather to my father, and now to my brother, sister and I."

“While I hope that somewhere down the line there is a fifth-generation trooper in the Turner family lineage," Callahan said, "it is my hope that a new legacy began on Sept. 4, 2020 when a first-generation New Jersey State Trooper graduated from the 160th class and will be the great-grandmother or great grandfather of a New Jersey State Trooper 90 years from now."

10/5/2020

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is deeply saddened to announce the passing of active duty Captain Jeffery W. Sewell #26. Captain Sewell had been hospitalized since September 5 due to COVID-19. He passed away at Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas on September 26. The Texas Department of Public Safety escorted Captain Sewell home to Atoka on September 27.

Captain Sewell was a graduate of the 43rd Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy in 1988, beginning his career as a trooper in Troop H, Clinton. In 1989, he was transferred to Troop E, Durant, spending 10 years there and being promoted to Lieutenant in 1999. In 2006, he promoted to Captain in Troop F, Ardmore, and continued his service as a Captain in Troop D, McAlester, Troop E, Durant and Troop XC, Indian Nation Turnpike, McAlester. In the summer of 2020, he began assignment as Captain of the Officer Assistance Program.

During his career, he participated in numerous additional duty opportunities such as the Police Corp in 2004, Emergency Response Team, DARE, TAC Supervisor of the 55th Academy, Special Olympics, Polar Plunge and Tip-A-Cop. He was involved in many other community projects and organizations. However, his greatest passion was his annual participation with Cadet Lawman, a week long summer camp that gives selected high school seniors-to-be a first-hand taste of what it takes to be a trooper. He was able to use his influence and leadership skills on the thousands of teenagers that participated over the years. Captain Jeffery W. Sewell was a friend to anyone that knew him and will be greatly missed.

9/30/2020

An Indiana State Police trooper was alerted by a passing driver that a nearby home was on fire on Saturday night. Around 10 p.m. on September 12, Master Trooper Mick Dockery was at a traffic stop near Edison Road and Crestwood Boulevard in South Bend when another driver told him that a house was on fire down the street. The trooper left the traffic stop and went to the home in the 3000 block of Edison Road. The east side of the house and garage were fully engulfed in flames, according to ISP. Dockery ran to the front door of the house and saw a man trying to open the front storm door but he wasn’t able to. Dockery forced the door open so he could get the man out but the man disappeared back into the house yelling he needed to get his dog out, ISP said. According to ISP, Dockery then noticed a woman who appeared disoriented in the front room, so he went in and dragged her from the home. Dockery yelled for the man to leave the home and a short time later, the man came outside and was soon followed by a German Shepherd. ISP did not say what caused the fire or if any injuries were sustained to the home’s occupants. Dockery was later cleared at a local hospital.

As of Tuesday, Washington State Patrol will be in their 100th year of service to the state of Washington. WSP's history traces all the way back to June 1921, when Washington lawmakers agreed to create a new state agency that primarily worked on traffic enforcement. When a decision was reached, 16 men were given three days of training, and on September 1, 1921 were sworn in as the first WSP patrolmen, though back then they were called the Washington Highway Patrol. In the early days of the agency, those officers looked a lot different than they do now. For one, they had no uniform: instead they were given just a badge and a Highway Patrol armband. They also didn't drive patrol cars but were instead assigned WWI surplus Indian motorcycles. Officers would be deployed all across the state, sometimes alone, and would often have to carry camping gear in their motorcycle side-cars for longer deployments. In some cases, deployment could last for months. Trooper Vernon Forth was the first WSP trooper to die in the line of duty, killed on September 30, 1923 when he was hit by another officer's motorcycle while on the way to the Lynden Fair. In the early days of the agency, there were more horses than cars on the road, and less than a thousand miles of paved road in all of Washington state. WSP says the officers spent most of their time enforcing the speed limit (a new, and at the time controversial regulation), but also would be called to respond to forest fires. Eventually, in 1924 the officers were issued uniforms, but it would be almost two decades before they were given actual patrol cars. Also different at the time was the badges the troopers wore. From 1921 to 1927 troopers wore a silver, shield shaped badge somewhat similar to a firefighters crest, before adopting the six-pointed star badge that troopers wear today. In honor of WSP's 100th year, troopers have been authorized to wear the classic "Centennial Badge" once again. The patrol says they'll also be using their hundredth year to look back at all the troopers who have been killed in the line of duty— taking time to remember the lost troopers on the anniversary of their deaths. WSP says the first anniversary memorial will be September 3 for Trooper Gene Bolstamd who died attempting to save a drowning teenager in Long Beach on September 3, 1957. To date, 30 WSP troopers have died on the job.

An emotional Ben Horton reflected on an incident that could have changed his family forever if not for the quick response of an off-duty police officer. “I don’t know what I would do without my daughter in my life. I [have] only known her for seven weeks, but I can’t remember what my life was like before she entered the world,” the Taneytown resident said in an interview. “My family is my everything.” Horton’s wife, Terria Lemaster, said she was driving on Baltimore Street in Taneytown on Aug. 19 when she looked into the car’s baby mirror. It gave her a clear view of their baby, Ivy-Jade. It was a sight she will not soon forget. “I looked back, and she was completely red,” Lemaster said. “I pulled over as fast as I could, took her to the sidewalk, and turned her over. She wasn’t breathing and it looked like she was choking on thick mucus.” Lemaster stopped, her voice filled with emotion. “She is my first baby, so it was hard,” she said. “I wasn’t looking for help; I was just trying to get her airway clear. In the middle of all that, this woman pulled over, and then a man pulled over, too. “The woman asked, ‘Do you need help? I’m an off-duty state trooper,’ ” Lemaster said, and then she handed over her 6-week-old baby. Trooper 1st Class Amber Cerreto is a 10-year veteran of the Maryland State Police. “The first thing I noticed was where she was pulled over,” Cerreto said. “On that part of the roadway vehicles aren’t normally in the travel portion. Then I saw Lemaster at the rear of her vehicle and she appeared to be in distress.” Cerreto said she didn’t hesitate. “I swore an oath to protect and defend the citizens of Maryland — and anywhere else if I am able, whether or not I am on duty,” she said. Lemaster watched as Cerreto flipped Ivy-Jade over and began to lightly pound on her back. “She knew exactly how to get a baby breathing,” Lemaster said. “Afterward, she talked to me. She told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to do this.’ She was so nice.” Cerreto said was trained in infant CPR in 2010. She recently recertified during a biannual update with the Maryland State Police. This was the first time she had to use what she learned on an infant. “Infants are so small and delicate that you have to be deliberate with the back thrusts using the palm of your hand,” she said. “In addition, instead of using two hands as you would with an adult or adolescent you would use two fingers to complete the compressions.” Cerreto said Lemaster had a look of relief on her face as she watched her daughter take in fresh air. “It was almost as though she herself could breathe again,” Cerreto said. “This is why I continue to serve the State of Maryland as a trooper. I happen to be in the right place at the right time, and I will not stop in my continued effort to protect as many people as I can. I am relieved that I was able to help both of them and grateful that Lemaster allowed me to assist.” Lemaster explained how she had stayed calm and focused during the event, but afterward, she said, she was “a mess.” “I had to call Ben and ask him to leave work,” she said. Horton found the missed call from his wife on his lunch break. “I called her back, and she was distraught, crying and telling me all about Ivy-Jade, how she [had] stopped breathing while she was driving home and how an off-duty state trooper had assisted her and saved Ivy. I felt a mixture of emotions, so helpless that I wasn’t able to be there when my child needed help, and grateful that Amber was there to help my wife and baby, concerned that there is definitely something wrong with my daughter and that she needed to go to the doctor, concerned for my wife’s mental fortitude after the events of the day, and relieved that everyone was alive.”It was not long until the two were headed to the doctor with Ivy-Jade. That’s where they learned their little girl has acid reflux. “They said [the choking] is a panic response, because their airways are so tiny it can go up their nose,” Lemaster said. “She had already been having some sinus issues, so, for her, it was a mucus that got stuck.” After it was all over, Lemaster realized she hadn’t gotten the names of either person who stopped to help, so she took to the Taneytown Neighborhood group page on Facebook, posting: “To the man and woman who stopped while I was panicking on the side of the road with a choking 6-week-old, thank you for getting her to breathe correctly and teaching me CPR for a child. I can never thank you enough!” Cerreto saw the post and responded, “I’m glad to hear your daughter is better. Sorry we met in circumstances like this, but I’m happy to hear she is better now. Learn that CPR!” Lemaster said she is almost grateful it happened, because she now knows what to do if it happens again. She said she is eternally grateful to the two people who stopped to help and is still hoping the man who stopped will also see her Facebook post, so she can thank him. She said she will never forget how Cerreto saved Ivy-Jade’s life. Cerreto had a message for the entire family: “I hope your baby girl continues to grow up — into a strong woman one day. Thank you for allowing me to help you. And to Ivy-Jade — you are stronger than you know, even at 6 weeks. Keep it up!”

John Bagnardi, AAST Development Director (non-uniform) presents the winners plaque to AAST Georgia State Director Sergeant Michael Hall and some of Georgia State Patrol’s Command Staff. Lt. Colonel Wright, who took the winning photo of the GSP Cruiser, is to the right of Bagnardi. The presentation was conducted at the Headquarters of the Georgia State Patrol on Tuesday September 15, 2020. As the winning agency, GSP will grace the cover of the 2021 America’s Best Looking Cruiser Calendar and the month of January. Calendars go on sale today! Proceeds from the sale of the calendar benefit the AAST Foundation which provides higher education scholarships for AAST troopers children dependents. This year, the Foundation awarded 95 scholarships totaling 70,500.00. Since the inception of the program, AAST has awarded 4058 scholarships totaling more than 2.9 million dollars.

Congratulations to GSP and all the states featured on the calendar!     

A special thank you to our calendar corporate sponsors – AT&T First NET – TREMCO Anti-Theft Devices and Police Products – Sig-Sauer – Federal Signal Corporation

A young boy was feeling sick while traveling with his family over Labor Day weekend. The remedy for his illness? A big ol’ bear hug from a Missouri state trooper. The Missouri State Highway Patrol shared the story on social media Monday night. Corporal Levi Rawson stopped to check on a motorist in distress on Labor Day when he realized it was actually a child who was in distress. “This little guy was feeling ill as his family traveled and Levi had just what he needed to feel better....A Big Ol’ BEAR HUG!” MSHP Troop D tweeted. The troop shared dashcam video of the trooper kneeling down to hug the boy.

It’s got a HEMI under the hood scoop, a trained trooper behind the wheel and it's right behind that aggressive speeder who just passed you on the Buckman Bridge. Say hello to the Florida Highway Patrol's new friend — a Dodge Challenger R/T with a 370-horsepower V-8 engine under a sleek, yet still familiar black and yellow paint scheme. Jacksonville just received one of Florida's 10 new muscle car cruisers for use in Troop G's Duval County district, which includes Baker, Bradford, Clay, Nassau, Union and St. Johns counties. It's joined by one of 10 unmarked Ford Mustang GTs circulating the state in stealthier shades of white, silver, black, gray and red. The muscle cars are part of a renewed wave of more agile and powerful "specialty vehicles" that can blend in with traffic as they tackle aggressive speeders, Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan said. “Those are the small percentage of people who we want to get, those who are really grotesque with their driving violations and cause a lot of safety issues on our highways,”  Bryan said. “The Mustangs are unmarked, which means there is no lighting on the outside. And the Challengers have been kept in a slick-top fashion, the lights of those vehicles in the interior, so there are no external pieces you would recognize.” Florida drivers may remember that two-door muscle cars sporting the Highway Patrol’s familiar “bumblebee” paint job patrolled highways and state roads in recent years. First were the Fords Mustang SSPs, with more than 15,000 of the notchback coupes supplied to multiple agencies. Florida was the second-biggest buyer of them from 1982 until 1993. They packed a 5-liter V-8 and a certified calibrated speedometer to track speeders. The Highway Patrol also used sleek Chevrolet Camaros in recent years, as well as a few other sports cars like Nissan 300ZXs and Dodge Stealth coupes that it confiscated in raids. The Highway Patrol first showed off the new Challenger late last year in images in front of the Main Street bridge and St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos in a bid to win the American Association of State Troopers Foundation's “America’s Best-Looking Cruiser” contest. It came in ninth to the Nebraska State Patrol's Dodge Charger, then joined 11 other top vote-getters in the association's current 2020 calendar. Troop G’s new Challenger is the R/T model with a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 good tor a 5.5-second run to 60 mph in the civilian version. The emergency lights are tucked in the top of the windshield and rear window. Other strobes flash from fenders and side windows. It also gets a 360-degree HD camera to record any pursuit for later evidence gathering. "Coming up from behind, it looks like a black Challenger on your back door," Bryan said. The 460-horsepower Mustang GT is one of a number of police vehicles that Ford offers, from one based on the Explorer SUV, to a Transit Van for prisoner transport. Its civilian version can get to 60 mph in just over 4 seconds. The Highway Patrol's unmarked Mustangs also have hidden emergency lighting. Spoiler alert — Jacksonville's is silver, Bryan said. “They are being used more to combat aggressive driving. That's why they have been left unmarked,” Bryan said. “... We have no issues telling the public the color. We want them to see it and know that it's out there working because there are so many drivers who will still do hazardous behavior even with a marked car there." The Highway Patrol Mustangs also carry FHP license plates for an eagle-eyed driver to spot, Bryan said. The Challenger and the Mustang pursuit vehicles were purchased as part of the Highway Patrol's annual budget. They are also receiving a lot of public interest as recruitment tools by the Highway Patrol, as well as a traffic safety public relations tool in parades and events, Bryan said.

9/2/2020

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Monday announced her choice to lead the state’s largest law enforcement agency. Terri Davie is a 24-year veteran of law enforcement in Oregon, Brown said in a statement. Davie will assume the role Nov. 1, pending approval from the state Senate. Davie has "a strong record of leading by example,” Brown said. “She brings a focus on inclusivity and is dedicated to listening to community voices—including Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Tribal communities—as we work towards a more fair and just law enforcement system in Oregon. I look forward to her leadership as we do the hard work of transforming law enforcement standards and training and putting the state on a path toward racial justice.” Davie began her career with the Oregon Department of Corrections, where she was a correctional officer and a lieutenant at the Oregon State Penitentiary. In 2001, Terri joined the Oregon State Police as a patrol trooper assigned to the Albany Area Command. Over the years, Davie has served in many different assignments, including as a major crimes detective, a crisis negotiator on the agency’s SWAT Team, and as a station commander at the Capitol in Salem. She has served as state police deputy superintendent since July 2016. Davie holds an advanced law enforcement certification and is an active member of the FBI National Executive Institute and the International and Oregon Association Chiefs of Police. Previous superintendent Travis Hampton announced his retirement earlier this month. The leadership change comes as Oregon State Police will again start patrolling Portland’s nightly protests against systemic racism and police brutality with help from officers from neighboring communities. That’s part of a plan announced by Brown late Sunday to tamp down on vandalism and violence following a fatal shooting.

A mysterious handgun found in the middle of a field a year ago has since made its way back home to the N.C. State Highway Patrol along

with its rich history,

The gun, a Colt revolver, was discovered by someone mowing a field located off South Main Street in 2019. An empty black backpack was found beside the rusted gun, said Salisbury Police detective Jay Basinger.

Basinger said a patrol officer was called to the scene to retrieve the gun. When the officer couldn’t make out any markings on the gun, he turned it over to Basinger. As a crime scene investigator, Basinger processes guns regularly with serial numbers etched off or older guns like the revolver that was found.

“We got enough to where we could read the serial numbers and the markings,” Basinger said.

The detective said he was able to clean and restore the gun in June 2019 enough that he could make out the letters N.C.S H.P. No. 10. on the bottom of the grip. Basinger said he contacted the local Highway Patrol Troop E office located on South Main Street. There, law enforcement officers were able to determine that the gun had not been reported stolen.

But Basinger said it was a mystery to him as to why the gun was left in a field. The police department’s records only go so far, he said.

The gun was found and restored two weeks before the 90th anniversary of the Highway Patrol.

“This piece of history was found and returned to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol during the year of our 90th anniversary. The highway patrol has always taken pride in our rich heritage,” said Sgt. Christopher Knox with the State Highway Patrol Public Information Office.

Knox said the highway patrol contacted the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company to check the serial number to determine the origin of the gun. The Office of the Colt Historian in Bloomfield, Connecticut, determined the gun was originally shipped to the State Highway Patrol in care of Capt. Chris D. Farmer on April 29, 1929.

The revolver was No. 10 of 39. It was chambered in .38/c with a 5-inch barrel, blue finish and a beige grip.

The gun would’ve been assigned to R.R. Glover, who was a Raleigh native, and the 10th original member of the organization. When Glover became a trooper, he was employed by the State Highway Commission in Raleigh. During the 1931 reorganization, Glover was promoted to corporal. While working out of Asheville, he was ambushed and shot near Canton.

He was the first member of the highway patrol organization to be shot but he was not seriously injured. After working for the highway patrol for a number of years, he transferred from patrol to work for the License Plate Identification Division of the Department of Motor Vehicles in Raleigh.

Knox said it’s not clear if Glover lost the gun or it was stolen.

He said they have not been able to connect with any of Glover’s family members.

The gun is fully functional and will remain with the Highway Patrol’s Armory in the Historical Firearms Section.

8/27/2020