"Providing benefits and services to America's state troopers since 1989"
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"Providing benefits and services to America's state troopers since 1989" |
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State police heroes make difference on and off job
Fifteen troopers make ultimate sacrifice in 2008 When it came to helping others in need, Shawn Snow was the type of guy that just about everyone could count on. So when an antique fire engine suffered a flat tire, it wasn’t surprising that Tpr. Snow, of the New York State Police, would be there to lend a hand. He was under the truck as the driver moved a ladder, which came in contact with nearby power lines, electrocuting both Snow and the driver. The circumstances of Snow’s death may be unusual. But his dedication and commitment are emblematic of all the state police heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2008. Officer/Paramedic Bruce Harrolle, Arizona Department of Public Safety, was struck by the rotor blades of a helicopter during a search and rescue operation for stranded hikers. TFC Mickey Lippy and Pilot Stephen Bunker of the Maryland State Police Aviation Unit were killed in a helicopter crash while transporting car crash victims. Sr. Tpr. William Hakim of the Oregon State Police and another officer were killed in a bomb blast outside a bank. Continuing a decade-long trend, most 2008 line-of-duty deaths occurred on our roadways, including Indiana state trooper Daniel Roy Barrett; Ofcr. Joseph Sanders, California Highway Patrol; L/Cpl. James Haynes, South Carolina Highway Patrol; Tpr. Kara Kelly-Borgognone, Nevada Department of Public Safety; Tpr. Evan Schneider, Montana Highway Patrol; Lt. Michael Avilucea, New Mexico State Police; and Tpr. Andrew Stocks, North Carolina Highway Patrol. However, state police officers were not immune to the dangers of violent criminals either. Both Tpr. James Scott Burns, Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, and Tpr. David Blanton Jr., North Carolina Highway Patrol, were shot and killed during traffic stops. So many of these heroes were devoted family men and women, as well as dedicated law enforcement professionals. In the case of Arkansas State Police sergeant Richard LeBow, that “family” extended far beyond his wife and two sons. LeBow was on patrol looking for speeders when his patrol vehicle collided with a tractor trailer, killing him. At the funeral, his pastor recalled the day the sergeant arrived at work with a shaved head. His fellow troopers ribbed him mercilessly. After they were done, LeBow quietly informed them he had joined Big Brothers-Big Sisters and his “little brother” was a boy with cancer who lost his hair during chemotherapy. “You could have heard a pin drop,” the pastor recounted. State police heroes making a difference on the job and off the job – in this respect, 2008 was no different from any other year. The names of 133 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during 2008 are being added this year to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Their names were formally dedicated on the Memorial during the 21st Annual Candlelight Vigil, May 13. For more information, visit www.nleomf.org/NPW2009. |
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1949 Raymond Diehl Road, Tallahassee,
Florida 32308 800.765.5456 |
Highway Patrol/State Police Memorial
