MT-Winter-2016

Transcription

MT-Winter-2016

President
Vice President
Tpr. Nate Johnson
Secretary/Treasurer
D/Sgt. Duane Hickok
1st District..........................Tpr. Eric Byerly
Post...........................................Representative(s)
Lansing............................. Tpr. James Moots
Brighton...................... Tpr. Joe Pendergraff
Tpr. Olivia Sivy
Jackson................Tpr. James “Tony” Weldy
Tpr. James Wojton
Monroe........................Tpr. Herman Brown
Lansing Lab......................S/Sgt. Jeff Bedell
Training Division............ Sgt. Rob Schwalm
2nd District............... Tpr. Jay Morningstar
Metro........................................Tpr. Rich Fell
Tpr. Joel Kuhn
Tpr. Daniel Martin
2nd District HQ.........Tpr. Bradley Conner
Gaming.............................Tpr. Marcus Wise
SID...........................Tpr. Darrin Grandison
Tpr. Raymond Rollet
Northville Lab........ S/Sgt. Kathleen Lewis
Sterling Hts. Lab.........S/Sgt. Tim Ketvirtis
3rd District........ Tpr. Christopher Tuckey
Tri-City..........................Tpr. Justin Kemerer
Tpr. Donald Pisha
Tpr. Don Reich
West Branch.......................Tpr. Jeff Devine
Tpr. Gregg Kopkau
Caro............................. Tpr. Andrew Warner
Lapeer......................... Tpr. Stephen Cavner
Tpr. Aaron Locke
Flint............................. Tpr. Troy Bonadurer
Tpr. Josh Coulter
Tpr. Rick Lutz
3rd District HQ............. Sgt. Clinton Keene
Bridgeport Lab...................................Vacant
5th District..........Tpr. Adam Starkweather
Paw Paw..........................Tpr. O.J. Hamilton
Wayland...................... Tpr. Taylor Bonovetz
Tpr. Kellie Summerhays
Niles....................................Tpr. Jeff Miazga
Tpr. James Janes
Coldwater............................Tpr. Jim McRae
Tpr. Jereme Miller
6th District............... Tpr. Kelly Linebaugh
Rockford.......................... Tpr. Eric Brogger
Tpr. Jacob Cox
Hart..................................Tpr. Dan Thomas
Mt. Pleasant........................Tpr. Doug Hunt
Lakeview...........................Tpr. Rob Metivier
Tpr. Jim Yeager
Grand Rapids Lab.......S/Sgt. Shawn Baker
D/Sgt. Mitchell Stevens
7th District..........................Tpr. Paul Stone
Cadillac............................. Tpr. Rick Pearson
Tpr. Kat Wicker
Houghton Lake..............Tpr. Bert Richards
Tpr. Harold Terry
Gaylord........................Tpr. Jason Nemecek
Tpr. Bob Krupa
Alpena..............................Tpr. Jay Kurowski
Tpr. David Jackson
Grayling Lab.......................................Vacant
8th District.................... Tpr. David Cowen
Negaunee.................... Tpr. Jonah Bonovetz
Sault Ste. Marie..........Sgt. Kristyn Kuenzer
St. Ignace........................... Tpr. John Janicki
Gladstone.......................... Tpr. Pat Madden
Iron Mountain................. Tpr. Brad Lammi
Wakefield............................ Tpr. Joe Renaud
Calumet........................... Tpr. Steve Lanctot
Marquette Lab.............. S/Sgt. Jay Peterson
Region 1 Uniform Sergeant
Sgt. Frank Williams
Region 2 Uniform Sergeant
Sgt. Mark Tamlyn
Know your rights . . .
protect your rights!
Region 1 D/Sergeant
D/Sgt. Bill Eberhardt
Region 2 D/Sergeant
D/Sgt. Bob Tomassi
Constitution & Bylaws
D/Sgt. Bill Eberhardt*
Tpr. Jay Morningstar
Sgt. Mark Tamlyn
Discipline Advocates
D/Sgt. Duane Hickok*
Tpr. Eric Byerly
Tpr. David Cowen
D/Sgt. Bill Eberhardt
Tpr. Nate Johnson
Tpr. Kelly Linebaugh
Tpr. Adam Starkweather
Tpr. Paul Stone
Sgt. Mark Tamlyn
Tpr. Christopher Tuckey
Sgt. Frank Williams
Drug & Alcohol Testing
Tpr. Kelly Linebaugh*
Tpr. Eric Byerly
Mr. Larry Schneider, Esq.
Elections
Sgt. Frank Williams*
Tpr. Eric Byerly
Tpr. Bert Richards
Emergency Telephone
Service Committee
(State 911)
Finance
D/Sgt. Mitchell Stevens*
Tpr. David Cowen**
D/Sgt. Bob Tomassi
Sgt. Frank Williams
Grievance
D/Sgt. Bill Eberhardt**
S/Sgt. Allan Avery
Tpr. Herman Brown
Tpr. Josh Coulter
Tpr. Rich Fell
Tpr. Amy Hofmeister
Tpr. Nate Horan
Tpr. Jay Kurowski
Tpr. Jim McRae
Tpr. Trevor Radke
Tpr. Paul Stone
Tpr. Kellie Summerhays
D/Sgt. Bob Tomassi
D/Sgt. Sally Wolter
MCOLES
Tpr. Nate Johnson
MSTAF
Sgt. Rob Schwalm*
Tpr. Rick Doehring
Tpr. Joe Rowley
Tpr. Wes Smith
Sgt. Mark Tamlyn
Tpr. Kat Wicker
Publications
Sgt. John Faccio*
Editor in Chief
Tpr. Eric Byerly
S/Sgt. Carissa Horan
Tpr. Nate Horan
Tpr. Lisa Lucio
MSP Retirement Board
Published by the Michigan State Police Troopers Association
Out Of State Funerals
Tpr. Craig MacDonald*
Safety
D/Sgt. Bill Eberhardt*
Tpr. David Cowen
Sergeants-At-Arms
Tpr. Herman Brown
Tpr. Rick Doehring
Training
Tpr. Eric Byerly
Tpr. Josh Coulter
Tpr. Joel Kuhn
D/Sgt. Bob Tomassi
Transfer Review Board
Tpr. Jay Morningstar*
Sgt. Frank Williams
Uniform Equipment
Tpr. Eric Byerly*
Tpr. Paul Stone
Legal
General Counsel (In-House)
Lawrence P. Schneider, Esq.
Labor Counsel
Mr. Timothy Dlugos, Esq.
White, Schneider, Young
& Chiodini, P.C.
Office Staff
Marketing Director
Pat Strzalkowski
* Denotes Chair or Co-Chair ** Denotes Vice Chair
1 ▪ Michigan
▪ Road, Suite B • East Lansing, MI 48823 • (517) 336-7782 • Fax: (517) 336-8997 • Website: www.mspta.net
Michigan
Trooper •Trooper 1715 Abbey
Winter 2016
On the Cover
Attending the ceremonial bill signing were members of the MSPTA Executive Board and Retiree/Associate
Membership Committee. Surrounding State Senator Mike Nofs, Governor Rick Snyder and State Senator Tom
Casperson ( from left to right) are MSPTA Marketing Director Pat Strzalkowski, Region 2 Uniform Sergeant
Representative Mark Tamlyn, MSPTA President Nate Johnson, MSP Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, Retiree
Committee Chair F/Lt. Diane Garrison (Ret.), Captain Roger Warner (Ret.), 5th District Representative Adam
Starkweather, D/Sgt. John Boggs (Ret.), MSPTA Vice President Duane Hickok, Sgt. Gordon Gotts (Ret.), and
MSP Lt./Col. Thomas Sands. (Photo Credit: Senator Tom Casperson’s office.)
In this Issue
From the President’s Desk................................................................2
Vice President’s View.........................................................................5
Counsel’s Corner.................................................................................6
Niles Post Troopers Participate in Toys for Tots
Pub Run/5K
By: Tpr. Joel Service.................................................................... 7
Troopers Step-Up to Lend a Helping Hand
By: Tpr. Eric Byerly......................................................................... 8
The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly
By: D/Sgt. Donald “Hager” Anderson (Ret.)............................... 10
David Cornelius Memorial Snowmobile
Enforcement Detail
By: Tpr. Bert Richards.............................................................. 13
Eating a Big Slice of Humble Pie
By: Tpr. Marv Carlson............................................................. 15
2016 Committee Appointments
Associate Membership
(Retiree Committee)
Diane Garrison (Ret.)*
John Boggs (Ret.)
Gordon Gotts (Ret.)
Alan Shaw (Ret.)
Roger Warner (Ret.)
Matthew Wesaw (Ret.)
Sgt. Mark Tamlyn
MAGAZINE
In Memoriam – D/Sgt. Michael D. McGuire
By: Sgt. Timothy Fitz gerald...................................................... 18
MSPTA’s 11th President Passes Away
By: Lynn Marie Ketzler............................................................20
Bill Would Rename U.S. 127 to Honor Fallen Trooper
By: Ken Palmer (Reprinted with permission)............................. 21
MSPTA January Quarterly
By: Sp./Sgt. Carissa Horan............................................................22
Work of Troopers Honors Memory of Mapes
2016 Cpl. Sam Mapes Awards.................................................26
Hart Post Detectives Receive Meritorious Service Award........28
Theis Honors Brighton Troopers
(Reprinted with permission)........................................................29
Good Job Troops!.............................................................................30
Making the News............................................................................. 32
Trooper of the Year at Tri-City Post............................................. 33
In Memory of Our Retirees............................................................ 33
Register of Deeds............................................................................. 35
MSTAF News/13th Annual Golf Outing/Project ’57........ 36-39
In Memoriam – Senior Trooper Steven Vincent
By: Tpr. Derek Hoffmann.........................................................40
In Memoriam – Trooper Sean E. Cullen
By: Tpr. Christopher Tuckey..................................................... 42
Final Call........................................................................................... 44
End of Watch.......................................................Inside Back Cover
Editorial Policy
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represent those of the MSPTA. Articles represent the opinions of the author. Any similarity between the people and places in the fiction and semi-fiction of
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When an article is selected for publication, writers are assured of freedom of expression within necessary limits of good taste, available space, and legal requirements.
Editor in Chief............................................Sgt. John Faccio
The Michigan Trooper is published quarterly by the Michigan State Police Troopers
Typesetting/Layout & Design................. Pat Strzalkowski
Association.
Cover Design....... Cherie Morehouse/Morehouse Media
For information about securing permission to reprint Michigan Trooper articles,
Submission E-mail................... [email protected]
please address inquiries to the Editor. ■
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 1
From the President’s Desk
Trooper Nate Johnson
Since being elected, it has been my
priority to maintain a visible presence
and voice at the Capitol on behalf of
the MSPTA. The legislative process
is a catalyst of change, impacting
active members, retirees, and the
agency as a whole. I want to take this
opportunity to recognize legislative
advocacy efforts, as well as to preview
budget highlights for fiscal year 20162017, and anticipated changes in the
coming year.
Senate Bill 22
Senate Bill 22 was originally
born in 2010 as SB-794, as a result
of the relentless effort of retired
D/Sgt. Hager Anderson to address
below poverty level pensions. Over
the next six years, three bills were
introduced and failed, before SB-22
passed in 2015 with overwhelming
support in the Senate (vote 16-0) and
House (vote 103-2). Hager’s selfless
advocacy included 903 handwritten
letters, before SB-22 was signed
into law by Governor Snyder in De
cember of 2015, bumping 96 retiree
pensions above the State poverty
line to $16,000. It should be noted
that Hager himself will not see a
pension increase and has been solely
motivated by doing the right thing.
A note of appreciation to retiree
2 ▪ Michigan Trooper ▪
Supplemental Budget/
New Marshall Post
I am pleased to share that we are
looking to graduate 150 new troopers
this year. Recruit schools were bud
geted for 88 recruits. However,
with Senator Nofs’s advocacy for a
supplemental of 12 bodies, new ap
propriations now total 100 recruits.
An additional 50 recruits are slated
to be brought on board as a result of
attrition rates for a total of 150 new
troopers in 2016. As described below
in the budget recommendations, sup
port for the maintenance of staff ing
levels is critical.
Senator Nofs was also instrumental
in the development of the new
Marshal Post (the Marshall Regional
Law Enforcement Center). While
still serving as the Post Commander
in Battle Creek, Nofs wrote the first
business plan for the facility in 1996
and continued efforts until the new
facility opened its doors in 2015.
Budget Proposal
FY 2016-2017
In February, we entered into a new
budget cycle after Governor Snyder
announced his proposals for FY
2016-2017. The MSP budgeting pro
cess will advance over the next couple
months through a series of hearings
that are conducted in the House
and Senate. During these hearings,
members of the Department will
testify, justifying that every dollar
works into the metrics and measures
of moving Michigan forward. High
lights of the budget are outlined below.
Investment #1:
Troopers – $9.5 Million
Looking at the strength report
on page 3, you will note that during
the 2003 to 2011 tenure we saw
trooper layoffs and historically low
staffing levels. In 2012, Governor
Snyder made public safety a priority,
supporting the rebuilding of the
MSP ranks. Although we have hired
492 troopers since 2011, we have
only seen a net gain of 205 troopers
which is still significantly less and
well below the Resource Allocation
Model (RAM). The RAM staffing
model was published in 2008 before
our commitment to the Secure
Cities Partnership and before the
State lost 2,200 law enforcement
officers. To put MSP staffing levels
into perspective, examine staffing
at Marshall, Wayland, and Brighton;
3 of our 29 posts. According to the
RAM model, the MSP Marshall Post
should be staffed with 77 troopers
compared to the 40 currently as
signed. For the Wayland Post, RAM
recommends 68 troopers, but is
staffed with 31. And, instead of the
targeted 58 troopers for the Brighton
Post, currently there are only 37. In
the next five years, we have over 600
troopers eligible to retire. Without
support for appropriations dedicated
to hiring troopers, attrition will be
detrimental to the law enforcement
services we provide in all areas of the
State.
For FY 2016-2017, a recommend
ation of $9.5 million, including a onetime cost of $4.5 million to fund an
2,236
Investment #3:
Statewide Drug
Enforcement Strategy –
$1.3 Million
2,200
2,141
2,048
2,000
Number of Enlisted Members
committee chair, retired F/Lt.
Diane Garrison, for countless trips
to the Capitol and MSPTA office to
garner bill support. And a special
thank you for the tireless work of
Senator Casperson and Senator Nofs
who have been key in the bill’s reintroduction and testimony on behalf
of our retirees over the last six years.
Senate Bill 22 would not have come
to fruition without the perseverance
of them all. ( This edition’s cover features
the signing of SB-22, as does Hager’s article
beginning on page 10.)
ster, Hamtramck, Harper Woods,
Highland Park, and Benton Harbor.
(Each city was chosen due to their
high violent crime rate.)
TOTAL ENLISTED STRENGTH
(AT THE START OF EACH FISCAL YEAR)
1,878
1,907*
1,873
1,817
1,800
1,826
1,798
1,807
1,807
FY15
FY16
1,761
1,679
1,698
1,679
1,602
1,600
1,613
1,400
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
FY07
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY17
The FY17
projected
starting
strength
includes
100 new
troopers
* The FY17* projected
starting
strength includes
100 new
troopers expected
to graduate
in FY16.
expected to graduate in FY16.
85-graduate recruit school. Total cost
includes training, wages, supervision,
patrol vehicles, uniforms, weapons,
as well as computers, radios, phones
and other technology.
Investment #2:
Secure Cities Partnership –
$1.5 Million
Since 2012, we have partnered
with local agencies to reduce crime in
four of the State’s most violent cities
(Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and Pontiac)
through increased patrols and in
vest igative resources of our Secure
City Partnership (SCP). Deploy
ment of SCP has proven effect ive,
reducing violent crime by up to 45%
and property crimes by up to 40%.
(See chart on page 5.) What does this
mean? It means there are 13,000 fewer
victims of violent crime in Michigan.
Recommendations for FY 2016-2017
include $1.5 million to expand patrols,
investigative resources, and crime
analysts into Muskegon Heights, Ink
SECURE CITIES PARTNERSHIP CRIME RATE CHANGE
Crime Rate Change
2012 - 2015
Cities
Violent
Property
Flint
– 45.5%
– 40.4%
Saginaw
– 40.0%
– 34.4%
Detroit
–14.7%
– 22.8%
Pontiac
– 8.0%
– 29.5%
*2015 data is preliminary and subject to change. Data reported by 1/11/2016.
Heroin, prescription drug abuse,
and methamphetamine are the most
significant drug threats facing this
State. Opioid abuse has increased
dramatically in Michigan, with drug
overdose deaths tripling since 1999.
Last year, Michigan had 876 people
killed in traffic crashes while 1,745
died of drug overdoses. Prescription
drug abuse is affecting every region
of the State. Michigan ranks highest
among the States in painkiller pre
scriptions, with a staggering 107
prescript ions for every 100 residents.
Recent data indicates that Michigan
is #2 in the nation for methampheta
mine incidents, proving clandestine
methamphetamine labs continue to
remain a significant problem. The
$1.3 million would include analysts,
awareness education, and additional
resources for detecting, investigating,
and arresting violators.
Investment #4:
Cyber Security and Digital
Evidence – $2.2 Million
The proliferation of web-enabled
“smart” devices and continued ad
vances in technology have inundated
the computer crime unit, increasing
case loads 280% since 2011. Digital
evidence can effectively be used to
solve crimes against persons and
property, including serious violent
crimes. With more than 80% of the
CCU’s caseload coming from outside
agencies, the $2.2 million for addi
tional computer analysts, as well as
technology and equipment, will be a
resource multiplier for law enforce
ment, prosecutors, and judges.
see PRESIDENT, page 4
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 3
from PRESIDENT, page 3
Investment #5:
School Saftey
One-time funding of $4 million
will support additional technology
and equipment grants to school
districts and local law enforcement
agencies to further enhance security
across the State.
One-time funding of $500,000
will be used to support sexual assault
prevention and education initiatives
on higher education campuses.
Investment #6:
Emergency Management
Appropriations of $6.0 million to
the State’s Disaster and Emergency
Contingency Fund for use in assisting
State and local governments with
State disaster-related costs.
One-time funding of $750,000
to support the development of a
Vice President’s View
statewide strategy and implementa
tion plan for preparedness in the
event of long-term power outages.
Over the next couple months, I will
continue to attend hearings on our
budget and relevant legislation, and
as always, I will keep the membership
appraised on any changes. Stay
safe and I look forward to seeing
everyone at the April quarterly. ■
In our world at the MSPTA there
are three kinds of arbitration. Number
one is arbitration of a successor col
lective bargaining agreement of
which we have conducted twice in my
career. This type of arbitration is fairly
rare for the MSPTA. There is also
arbitration concerning interpretation
of current contract language and
arbitration of discipline cases which
is a common means to settle disputes
about contract language or discipline.
In February, President Nate John
son, 7th District Representative
Paul Stone and I attended a Labor
Law & Labor Arbitration training
conference which dealt with con
tractual interpretation and disci
pline arbitrations. There probably is
not a better group of teachers than
the arbitrators who decide and hear
the cases. We learned about how
arbitrators tick from teachers who are
among the top tier of labor arbitrators
in the nation.
The topics covered the latest devel
opments in labor law and labor arbitra
tion. Included were sections of train
ing on the seven tests of just cause,
advocacy as art and science, rules of
evidence, computer misuse, contract
interpretation principles, contract
law, FMLA, insubordination, past
pract ice doctrine, job performance,
drugs and alcohol and the list goes
on. With the knowledge gained we
are now better able to advocate for
our members and engage in strategic
thinking applications for our work
here at the association.
The classes were all taught by five
nationally recognized arbitrators,
with one well-known local arbitrator,
George Roumell, who is somewhat
of a legend. Throughout the train
ing actual arbitration case facts were
reviewed. Then the panel of arbitra
tors would render a decision. The
surprising part of the case reviews
was there was rarely consensus in the
arbitrator’s decisions. A large majority
of the cases reviewed ended up in
split decisions among the arbitrators
on the panel. They almost always had
disagreement with whether or not to
uphold a termination or a five day
suspension, for example, or allow
certain evidence into the record.
This is why when making a decision
whether or not to go to arbitration
on a proposed discipline case or
settle the case, it is not easy. We are
unable to predict what an arbitrator
may decide. Even when the case may
have seemed a slam dunk for one
decision over the other, the results
were very often mixed between the
five arbitrators. The exceptions to
the split decision seemed to involve
any type of workplace violence or
threatening behavior. In any of the
cases involving violence or threatened
violence the results were unanimous
in upholding the discipline.
The percentage of grievances
where the employer prevailed is at
D/Sgt. Duane Hickok
66 percent nationally. With proposed
discipline of termination cases at
the MSPTA the employer prevails
forty nine percent of the time. At
the conclusion of the training it was
evident that the arbitration process
is continually evolving and each
arbitrator often times has a different
approach and interpretation of the
issue at hand.
We found the training to be
very valuable and useful especially
for our discipline advocates. The
MSPTA will be sending three more
board members to the training in
the very near future to better defend
our members’ due process rights as
well as their contractual rights. I’m
anxious to hear their evaluations of
the training when they return.
Please keep Detective Sergeant
Mike McGuire’s family in your
thoughts and prayers and stay safe. ■
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Deadline is May 1st for the Spring 2016 issue.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 5
Counsel’s Corner
The Law Student and the Trooper
Lawrence P. Schneider
MSPTA General Counsel
A few years ago, I participated in
a conversation between a third-year
Cooley law student and a veteran
Michigan State Police Trooper. I
can only describe this conversation’s
effect on me as “profound.”
I had introduced this law student
to my friend, the trooper, because I
was participating in a mentorship
program with the law student, whom
I will call “my mentee.” Because my
mentee, an African American young
man who had been raised in an innercity neighborhood, wanted to become
a criminal lawyer, I wanted him to
meet a white police officer – outside
of the courtroom. I wanted the two
of them to talk about the law in a
conversational, non-adversarial way.
Their conversation quickly turned
to the topic of seat belt laws. My
mentee said he was concerned that we
are seeing many of our “constitut ional
freedoms” being eroded by legislative
action. When the trooper asked for
an example, my mentee cited the
law requiring drivers to wear a seat
belt or face a stiff financial penalty.
My mentee admitted that he usually
chose to wear his seat belt while
driving, but he felt that the law was a
“classic example” of the government
restricting a choice that ought to
be available to every driver. “After
all, the failure of a driver to wear a
seat belt is not the cause of traffic
crashes,” he observed. My mentee
asked the trooper, “Besides me, who
suffers as a result of my constitutional
right not wear a seat belt?”
My Trooper friend gave a calm and
moving response that floored me and
the mentee.
“Me.”
My mentee responded, “You? I
don’t understand.”
My Trooper friend paused a mo
ment, and said, “Have you ever been
the first person to arrive at a traffic
crash and seen a beautiful high
school senior who has just had her
faced crushed against a windshield?
I have. Her boyfriend was able to
walk away from the accident. He had
his seatbelt on.”
My trooper friend continued.
“There is only one thing worse than
this experience.”
“What could be worse than that?”
my mentee respectfully asked.
“Knocking on her parent’s door
at 2:00am and telling them that their
17-year-old daughter had just died
in a violent car crash. Seeing their
faces, and experiencing their agony,
as I was required to respond to their
questions about how their precious
daughter had died less than an hour
earlier. It is the most difficult thing
about being a trooper. If she had only
worn a seatbelt, I thought to myself,
without saying it out loud, I would
not be here.”
The conversation continued for
a while after that. But in that brief
moment, my law student mentee had
learned more than I could have ever
taught him from my many years of
practicing law. Both men had a tear
in their eyes as they shook hands, did
a “man hug,” and promised to stay
in touch. My mentee has gone on
to become an esteemed lawyer. My
trooper friend played an instrumental
role in his wonderful career. My life
has never been the same. I learned how
to be a mentor without lecturing. ■
Niles Post Troopers Participate in
Toys for Tots Pub Run/5K
By: Tpr. Joel Service
106th Recruit School
Niles Post
On December 6, 2015 members
of the Niles Post, along with family
and friends, participated in the ninth
annual Toys for Tots Pub Run/5K
in Benton Harbor. This year’s run
The Sunset Coast Striders runn ing
club took on the task of organizing
the Pub Run this year and was able
to deliver five hundred new toys and
almost $1000 to the Toys for Tots
program.
This was our seventh year parti
cipating in the Pub Run and our
largest turn out yet. We usually have
between fifteen and twenty-five
people – this year we had a whopping
thirty-seven! This was about one fifth
of the total runners.
Niles Post troopers have become
a bit of a fixture at this run, mainly
because of our team motto. Printed
on our shirts every year, we are
known as Team FIDO, which was a
suggestion by Sgt. Steve Barker many
years ago. It stuck. The rated “G”
version of FIDO stands for Forget
It, Drive On. You can guess what
Tpr. Ben Mahaffie hitching
a ride between stops with
Tpr. Adam Kowalk.
Team FIDO, 2015 Pub Run.
“A PROUD tradition of SERVICE
through EXCELLENCE, INTEGRITY,
and COURTESY.”
featured over two hundred runners
and stops at seven local bars and
restaurants through out St. Joseph
and Benton Harbor area. Most of
the establishments provided drink
specials and free appetizers for all of
the runners. There was also a raffle
and costume contest at the end with
the proceeds going to Toys for Tots.
the “R” version is. Quite simply, it
means that when you run up against
something that you have no control
over, put it behind you and keep
going.
Over the years our turnout has
included our post commander, ser
geants, troopers, motor carrier offi
cers, dispatchers, prosecutors, de
tectives, retirees, and many family
members and friends. There is no
limit to how many we can have on the
team and the only price of admission
is an unwrapped toy to donate to
Toys for Tots.
In past years we have run in subfreezing temperatures, lake effect
snow, freezing rain and high winds.
This year we were blessed with clear
skies and 50 degree temperatures. We were also fortunate to have traffic
control at the start provided by Tprs.
Duwayne Robinson and Matt Totten.
This was well received and much
appreciated; thanks guys!
If you have the first weekend in
December open next year, think
about coming out to join us. It is a
fun time and supports a great cause.
Until next year, “FIDO!”. ■
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 7
Troopers Step-Up to Lend a Helping Hand
By: Tpr. Eric Byerly
1st District Representative
117 th Recruit School
Brighton Post
Brighton Post K-9 Trooper Rich
Chaffee and his family have been
through a lot in the last couple years.
In September 2014, the family home
was struck by lightning and burned
down. Thankfully, the family was
not home at the time and the house
was rebuilt over several months.
On Thanksgiving Day 2015, their
youngest daughter fell on a glass
vase and sustained a severe injury to
her brain, requiring glass fragments
to be removed by a neurosurgeon.
Around New Years 2016, Tracy
Chaffee was hospitalized with severe
complications that required the emer
gency delivery of their fourth child,
Jacob Daniel. At birth after only
28 weeks development, he weighed
2 lbs., 7 oz. The PICU at Sparrow
has been taking care of him day and
night. The Brighton Post personnel
decided to show their support by
turning the January Post MSPTA
meeting into a euchre tournament
fundraiser at the Chaffees’ residence.
Which, by the way, is a full-fledged
dairy farm. Yes, in addition to work
ing full time as K9-12, Rich runs a
large farm. I also contacted MSTAF
and Sgt. Rob Schwalm was able to
get a check to Rich and Tracy right
away to help out with some bills.
The euchre tournament was a huge
success, with about 20 entrants. Tpr.
Joe Pendergraff and Sgt. Mike Sura,
among others, administered and
kept us going to the right tables. I
managed to come in dead last, but we
raised around $1000 for the Chaffee
family.
I was amazed by their positive
attitude throughout these hardships.
They are buoyed by their faith. They
are thankful that no one was home at
the time of the fire, and that although
the medical emergencies have been
extremely trying, they have all had
positive outcomes. They’re looking
forward to everyone being home and
healthy and to settling in to their
home. This was a great example of
the MSP taking care of their own.
Please consider contributing to
MSTAF if you do not already. You
never know when it might be needed
by someone in your MSP family. ■
NOTE FROM THE MSTAF BOARD: This is exactly what the Michigan State Troopers
Assistance Fund (MSTAF) is all about – the ability to extend financial assistance in times of extreme
and unforeseen immediate need. MSTAF is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Rules and guidelines pertaining to such charitable entities
are strictly enforced and followed. Requests for assistance
from MSTAF must meet legal criteria, and each request is
voted on for approval on a case by case basis. Nobody ever expects
to “live” a tragedy or emergency situation, but having the means to
step up and help when circumstances arise is MSTAF’s mission.
On behalf of the MSTAF Board, thank you for your continued support; it is greatly appreciated.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 9
The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly
By: D/Sgt. Donald “Hager”
Anderson (Ret.)
I assume many of you have heard
this saying, but have you ever actually
had the experience of living within
the bowels of this adage? The ‘wheels
of justice’ saying can be applied to a
variety of judicial situat ions, however,
when you are involved in trying
to turn those wheels, it takes on a
whole new meaning. With a youthful
imagination, please join me as we
walk through my experience with the
slow-moving justice system. Some of
you may interpret this letter as my
“swan song” and in a way you may be
right, but deep down I feel compelled
to tell this story.
My story began in January, 2010,
while meeting for breakfast with
some older MSP retirees from the
Iron Mountain area. We ran out
of stories to tell so our attention
was directed to our pensions. I was
horrified when I discovered we
had three older troops in our area
drawing pensions below the poverty
level. The thought hit me like a ton
of bricks – to think Michigan’s finest
retirees could qualify for welfare.
When I came home and told my wife
what I had learned about our pension
situation, we agreed that something
should be done about this shameful
pension injustice. I vowed to start
thinking of ways to oil the wheels of
justice.
With very helpful assistance from
F/Lt. Diane Garrison (Ret.), chair
of our MSPTA Retiree Committee,
a list of all 2600 state police retirees
was obtained from the Office of
Retirement Services (ORS). Without
names, this list included all MSP re
tirees – troopers, sergeants, and
command officers – retirement
dates and current annual pension
as of 2010. Our main focus was on
those who retired before October 1,
1986 and their pensions. Much to my
amazement I discovered we had 626
who had retired before that date, and
we had 190 troops drawing pensions
under the poverty level. Troops who
retired after 1986 were covered by
a more adequate pension. Armed
with this unbelievable information,
especially the actual number of older
troops drawing poverty pensions,
my next move was to contact my
local legislator. To start with, I knew
Senator Mike Prusi from working
on a previous MSP Bill, so I got
reacquainted with him. Face-to-face
meetings and phone calls resulted in
the introduction of Senate Bill 1433
on July 28, 2010. This bill covered
just those 626 who retired before
October 1, 1986, requesting a $300
per month “jump” in their pension.
We felt this bill was a fair, reasonable,
and less complicated way to bump up
their pensions.
My letter writing began. After I
secured a copy of the State of Michigan
Citizens’ Guide booklet which covers
all the legislators (38 Senators and
110 Representatives), their committee
assignments and other information,
my “mass mailing” began. My letters
went out to all 148 legislators, as well
as a copy to the Governor and our
State Police Director, just for their
information. This letter told the sad
story about the pensions of our older
retired troops and I suggested ways
to correct this situation. Bill 1433
rested in the Senate Appropriations
Committee without turning a wheel
and died with the December 31, 2010
end of session.
A new year, 2011, brought a
new two-year session along with
many new legislators. Senator Tom
Casperson replaced Mike Prusi who
was term-limited. Representative
Ed McBroom came on the scene as
my U.P. Representative. Once again
several face-to-face meetings with
these legislators were conducted
reference our cause. On November 2,
2011, Senators Casperson, Nofs and
Emmons introduced Senate Bill 794,
with basically the same wording as
SB 1433.
As SB 1433 had done, Senate
Bill 794 also settled in the Senate
Appropriations Committee. With
this bill having over a year to gain
momentum, I thought we might
see some action – WRONG. Many
more mass mailings and phone calls
were made with Diane working the
Lansing area to no avail. Once again
the wheels failed to turn and Senate
Bill 794 died on December 31, 2012.
January 2013 rang in with again
many new legislators. More letters
were sent to all the newcomers, again
trying to acquaint them and promote
our mission. A new bill, SB-813 was
introduced by Senators Casperson
and Nofs with pretty much the same
language as our two previous bills.
This being the third time around, I
really felt we would see some positive
action. I thought the many older
legislators would recognize the need
for passage and begin to sympathize
with the needs of our oldest retirees
and talk it up with their colleagues –
WRONG.
Once again the chairman, exer
cising his authority for another
two years, never put SB-813 on
his agenda for discussion with the
other 15 members of the Senate
Appropriations Committee – even
though they meet every Wednesday
afternoon. Sounding like a broken
record and with frustration creeping
in, we once again saw SB-813 suc
cumb on December 31, 2014. With
no action I began to wonder if the
wheels of justice would ever turn.
With money being the cry, Diane
and I felt we might nudge the wheel
if we only focused on the original 190
retirees actually drawing pensions
below the poverty level.
2015 began like the previous
several years with many more new
legislators and mass mailings. On
January 14, 2015, as soon as the new
session opened, Senators Casperson
and Nofs, carrying the same wording,
introduced Senate Bills 21 and 22,
but with a tie-bar clause – meaning
one bill would not pass without the
other. As usual, these bills went to the
Senate Appropriations Committee,
this time chaired by Senator Dave
Hildenbrand. My thoughts were
ignited with a spark of excitement,
thinking they would have two years
to work on these bills. The fourth
time around for this pension issue
also brought a fierce determination
by Senator Nofs to grease the wheels
and slowly put this project in motion.
Along with Diane, retiree Gordon
Gotts stepped in to lend his voice to
the cause. He and Diane together,
wanting to see a favorable climax
to this five-year drama, attended
many meetings with Senator Nofs
and a representative from Budget
and Management and were able to
hammer out a substitute bill, SB 22S1.
Drawing on information from
ORS, it was determined we still had
96 retirees receiving pensions below
the poverty level of $16,000. What a
sad situation!!! This new Substitute
Bill attached to SB-22 would bring
Hager Anderson (right), and his wife, Roxanne, prepare to video chat,
or Skype, into Gov. Rick Snyder’s bill signing session in Lansing. One
of the bills Snyder signed regarding Michigan State Police retirees’
pensions was the result of a six-year letter writing campaign by Ander
son. (Photo Credit: The Iron Mountain Daily News.)
all 96 retirees up to at least $16,000.
Money again was a big stumbling
block, but this was finally resolved. I
could almost hear the wheels turning!
Incidentally, even though I retired in
1981, I am not part of the group of
96, so there will be no change in my
pension.
The new Chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, Sen. Hil
denbrand, spent time discussing the
addition to Bill 22 with Sen. Nofs,
who was leading the charge. More
letter writing. Within weeks the
Senate Appropriations Committee
voted 16-0 for passage of Senate
Bills 21, 22-S1. A short time later the
full Senate voted 38-0 to move our
bills to the House Appropriations
Committee. Wow, what a statement
for the House members to chew on.
With the justice wheel making a
“half turn” my adrenalin began to
reflect signs of positive excitement.
Then the House Appropriations
Chair proclaimed in a news release
to flex his muscles. Apparently he
chose to start from scratch, starting
by closely examine these bills (and
not by giving them a “top priority”)
claiming he was concerned about
setting a precedent with apparently
no influence from all the previous
work done by the Senate. The justice
wheel suddenly ground to a halt. In a
letter I sent to the chairman, I asked
him point blank, “What’s wrong with
setting a positive precedent?” For any
state employee who has worked the
minimum years to draw a pension,
that pension should be at least at
the poverty level. In the same letter
I reminded him of the $500 million
surplus the state boasted about three
years earlier, and the $200 million the
state gave to help bail out the city of
Detroit, but no money for our own
state police retirees? (I was never
given the courtesy of a reply to my
letter.).
Needless to say I’ve been very
disappointed in our justice system
and the mindset of our honorable
legislators – it seemed that if you
put off a bill long enough, it will
eventually die in the process.
During this now six-year ordeal,
my mind was held together by what
see JUSTICE, page 12
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 11
from JUSTICE, page 11
I refer to as my three working P’s. I
tried to be Persistent, with a Positive
attitude, attached to a lot of Patience.
I also try to live by, “It’s more blessed
to give than to receive.”
The winters are long in the U.P.
and so was this mission. You have
to start with a projected realistic
youthful imagination and a strong
focus for helping to right a wrong.
One last “Kudo” for Diane Gar
rison and her undying work in the
Lansing area: without her help we
would have been lost in the wild
scramble of politics as usual.
On October 7, 2015, the House
Appropriations voted 24 to 1 for
passage of SB 22-S1. On October 20,
2015, the full House passed our Bill
103 to 2 and sent it on to the Governor’s
office. Our wheels of justice made the
complete revolution! I am happy for
MSP’s 96 oldest retirees affected by
this new law. Thank you again to all
those who not only supported this
project, but promoted it too – there
IS a difference. My letter writing to
Lansing ended at 903, and that’s
snail-mail letters!
Finally, the BIG day arrived
with the signing of THE BILL on
December 15, 2015. I was physically
unable to make the trip to Lansing for
the bill signing. Senator Casperson
and other people in Lansing made
arrangements to Skype the signing
of the bill with my son, Kevin, doing
the honors from my home in the U.P.
This was a history-making ceremony
as neither myself or the Governor
had ever done any Skyping. What a
wonderful climactic ending to see
Governor Snyder actually signing
our bill and for me to verbally thank
all the people who helped work on
this bill. Lastly, thank you for taking
the time to read my story. Perhaps
someday you too will encounter
a dreadful situation that requires
changing. Remember though, the
wheels of justice turn slowly. ■
Sincerely Submitted,
Don “Hager” Anderson
MSP Retired Det./Sgt.
David Cornelius Memorial
Snowmobile Enforcement Detail
By: Tpr. Bert Richards
Houghton Lake Post
On Saturday, January 23, 2016, I
had the opportunity to participate
in the “David Cornelius Memorial
Snowmobile Enforcement” detail.
The Houghton Lake Post has been
part icipating in this detail for over
10 years as part of “Operation Life
saver.”
David Cornelius was a Norfolk
Southern Railroad Police Officer for
35 years. He started the Michigan
Operation Lifesaver Snowmobile
Gov. Rick Snyder (seated), displays state Senate Bill 22 after signing it. Also pictured are state Sen. Tom
Casperson, R-Escanaba (left), Hager Anderson (on screen at bottom right), some Michigan State Police
retirees and MSPTA Executive Board members. Casperson made arrangements for Anderson to attend the
bill signing via the video chat program Skype. (Photo Credit: Senator Tom Casperson’s office.)
Enforcement program about 15
years ago and was very active with
the Officer on the Train (OOTT)
program. He also instructed over
80 classes on Grade Crossing Crash
Investigation for law enforcement
across Michigan from 2001 to 2014.
David was diagnosed with fibrosis
of the lung in 2013 and was placed
on the transplant list. He received a
double lung transplant in February
2015. Sadly, the transplant failed and
he passed away at U of M Hospital at
the age of 65. David’s last Operation
Lifesaver event was just one month
earlier, even though he had to carry
an oxygen tank with him on the train.
He was very devoted to the detail and
will be greatly missed.
Our 2016 detail began at the
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office
in Grayling. After briefing with Mr.
Sam Crowl, State Coordinator of
Michigan Operation Lifesaver, and
Lake State Railroad Engineer, David
Murringer, Tpr. Mike Harger boarded
the locomotive outfitted with mag
netic MSP shields and traveled north
to Gaylord, about 29 miles. Tpr. Bob
Krupa of the Gaylord Post and I were
on the road along with a Crawford
County Sheriff Deputy. Four DNR
Conservation Officers also patrolled
the trails along the railroad. The
plan worked well as we had police
presence at each crossing and at areas
where there was heavy snowmobile
traffic. To our surprise, there were no
snowmobile violations even though
there were over 200 sleds that went
by us both ways. The riders seemed
friendly and mostly waved as we
passed. In previous years, the number
of violations were too numerous to
enforce.
After returning to Grayling, Tpr.
Harger observed five highway grade
violations involving passenger cars
where Tpr. Krupa and I were able to
take enforcement.
On behalf of Michigan Operation
Lifesaver, Mr. Crowl thanked the
Michigan State Police, the Department
of Natural Resources, the Crawford
County Sheriff ’s Office and especially
the Lake State Railroad for their
participation and cooperation. It led
to an excellent enforcement effort
with everyone looking forward to
working together again in the future. ■
(Photos courtesy
of Mr. Sam Crowl)
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 13
l The note at left was received at
Eating a Big Slice of Humble Pie
the MSPTA off ice. As the Dallas
family wanted to express their
gratitude for law enforcement,
we felt it important to share their
message with the f ield.
Voluntary Benefit
Plan (VBP)
Commonly referred to
as the $5 Plan
VBP Questions:
Ms. Nonda Beebe
517-241-1007
[email protected]
This is a new phone number for
Ms. Nonda Beebe. Please make
this change in your MSPTA
pocket calendar.
Making the News ...
Everyone
loves a
parade!
Tpr. Lisa
Smith reports
that working
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade in
Detroit to be a
favorite detail
every year.
Submitted By: Sgt. David
Malhalab (Ret.)
Detroit Police
Department
By: Tpr. Marv Carlson
Gaylord Post
Admitting you were wrong can be
a bitter pill to swallow. Admitting I
was wrong by publishing that infor
mation in a magazine article makes
that pill seem like it’s the size of a golf
ball. With that in mind, here goes; I
was wrong.
Last fall we had a district asso
ciation meeting in Gaylord. Our new
7th District Commander, Captain
Mike Caldwell, and new Assistant
District Commander, Inspector Mike
Hahn, were invited to attend the
meeting for a meet and greet. After
introductions Captain Caldwell in
vited us to voice any concerns we had.
Ignoring the little voice in my head
telling me to, “sit down and shut up
Marv” I stood up and asked him why
we were no longer putting snow tires
on our patrol cars. I’m pretty sure I
could faintly hear the little voices
in the heads of Nate Johnson and
Duane Hickok also saying, “sit down
and shut up Marv.” Unfortunately, I
chose to ignore their little voices too.
I advised Captain Caldwell that
myself and others I’ve talked to
seem to get stuck more often in the
rear wheel drive Chargers than we
did in the Crown Vics. I attributed
this to the fact that we are no longer
swapping out summer tires for snow
tires in the winter.
Captain Caldwell assured me
that the current Nokian tires were
thoroughly tested and determined
to be the best tires available for our
patrol cars. He also explained that
although there are many winter tires
on the market, the tires for our patrol
cars have to have a W pursuit rating
because the Chargers are capable of
speeds of 150 mph. In fact, in the
Fall 2015 issue of the Michigan Trooper
magazine, MSPTA President Nate
Johnson described the results of the
tire testing conducted by the drive
track team in January, 2015.
Fast forward about three months.
On December 29, 2015 most of the
state was hit with a severe winter
storm. On December 28th, the day
before the storm, the powers that be
in Lansing wisely decided to close
all government buildings-statewide.
While the rest of state government
enjoyed their snow day on the 29th,
many of us weren’t as lucky and had
to show up for work nonetheless. I
was one of those unlucky troopers.
I started my shift at 6:00am in
my driveway, completely stuck in 12
inches of fresh snow. After shoveling
for 20 minutes I was able to get my
patrol car out my driveway and onto
the road in front of my house . . . where
I immediately became stuck again
going downhill. Fortunately, my incar camera wasn’t recording. I could
fill three pages of this magazine with
the kaleidoscope of colorful language
I was mumbling – each word being
about four letters long. I should also
mention that I possess the unique
skill of being able to curse fluently in
five different languages – English (of
course), as well as German, French,
Spanish, and Greek. I’m also hoping
to pick up some Mandarin from my
daughter who’s a Chinese linguist in
the Air Force.
Half an hour later I was able to
rock my patrol car back and forth
enough to get from my road onto
another secondary road that had
already been driven on by a four
wheel drive pickup. I was able to stay
in the truck’s tracks until I reached a
primary road that had been plowed. I
slowly made my way to the post where
I parked my patrol car for the next 48
hours. Fortunately there was 4-wheel
drive Tahoe available for me to use
because the two midnight troopers to
which it was assigned were on pass.
Had that not been the case, I would
have been confined to the three
primary roads in Otsego County that
had been plowed.
Some of you may recall receiving
a sarcastic (another one of my hidden
talents) message from me on that
date over the MDT – something to
the effect of, “Don’t you wish we
had snow tires?” I also composed an
email to Captain Caldwell voicing my
frustrations with what I perceived
were inadequate tires on my patrol
car. I was even so bold as say that I
believed a rear wheel drive Charger
outfitted with snow tires would outperform an all-wheel drive Charger
outfitted with summer tires on winter
roads. I would later be forced to eat
my words and choke them down with
an ice cold glass of humility.
In the past, the drive track staff has
invited command members to attend
and observe the testing of winter
tires in the U.P. Captain Caldwell
and Inspector Hahn decided this
year it would be a good idea to send a
trooper to observe the testing since it
is troopers who will actually be using
the equipment tested. They say, “the
squeaky wheel gets the grease” and
I was squeaking pretty loudly. Some
who know me might describe me as
opinionated and outspoken . . . and
those would be two of my better
qualities. Inspector Hahn requested
I attend the testing in Calumet and
see HUMBLE PIE, page 16
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 15
from HUMBLE PIE, page 15
then write an article in the Trooper
magazine informing members of the
test results. Do you see where this is
going?
Sgt. Mike McCarthy was the team
leader and my contact from the MSP
Drive Track Team. Other members
of the team included Sergeants
Rob Schwalm and Andy Douville
and Troopers Pat Agema and Tony
VanLuchene. F/Lt. Jim Flegel from
the training division/traffic services
oversaw the project. The members of
the team are all car guys and experts
when it comes to understanding
vehicle mechanics, so I have to admit
I felt a little out of my element. I am
not a car guy. I know which pedals
to push to make the car go faster or
slower and I know which way to turn
the round thingie to make the car go
in the direction I want.
That being said, I consider myself
to be a pretty decent driver. I actually
learned how to drive on winter roads
growing up in the Upper Peninsula
forty years ago. I’ve been involved
in dozens (yes dozens) of high speed
pursuits – most of which occurred in
the 2nd District back and forth across
the Michigan/Ohio state line. I’ve
successfully used the PIT maneuver
on multiple occasions to terminate
chases and I’m still fortunate enough
to wear a gold Oscar G. Olander
award on my uniform.
Why is it then, I asked Sgt. Mc
Carthy, am I now getting stuck so
often in my patrol car? And why do I
now have to drive at a snail’s pace on
winter roads even when responding
to emergencies? I never seemed to
have that problem when I drove a
Caprice or Crown Vic outfitted with
Good Year Ultra Grips.
The problem, Mike assured me,
isn’t my tires. It’s the car itself. He
said driving the rear wheel drive
Charger is like driving a race car and
he compared it to driving a Corvette.
How many Corvettes do you see on
the highways of northern Michigan
between December and March?
Granted, in the 90’s, I patrolled in
both the Mustang 5.0 and Camaro
Z-28 but that was also in the 2nd
District. To my knowledge those
vehicles were never used to patrol the
highways of northern Michigan – at
least not during the winter months.
The department is already taking
steps to correct the problem. We
are no longer purchasing rear-wheel
drive Chargers. In fact, after the few
remaining RWD Chargers at the
drive track are sent to the field our
entire fleet will be replaced with allwheel drive or 4-wheel drive patrol
vehicles. Mike said our department
will likely never issue rear-wheel
drive patrol cars again.
Back to the issue of tire testing.
The testing took place over four days
February 8 through the 11th. The area
was under a winter weather advisory
throughout the duration of the testing.
Each day we received several inches
of fresh blowing snow. Temperatures
were in the single digits with 25-35
mph winds which frequently created
white out conditions. It appeared
to be the perfect time to test winter
tires.
The four patrol cars tested or
“platforms” as they were referred
to by drive track team included the
RWD Charger, the AWD Charger,
the 4-wheel drive Chevrolet Tahoe,
and the Ford Explorer (utility).
The five tires tested included the
current Nokian WRG3, the Good
Year Ultra Grip, the Good Year Eagle
RSA, the Firestone Firehawk Pursuit
GT, and the Firestone Firehawk PVS.
The Good Year RSA and Firestone
Firehawk Pursuit GT are ‘all season’
radial tires. The Good Year Ultra
Grip, Firestone Firehawk PVS, and
the Nokian WRG3 are all speed rated
winter tires. You heard me correctly.
The Nokians are in fact a speed
rated winter tire. The department
chooses to use them year round on
our patrol cars because they wear so
well. Typically a winter tire is made
of softer rubber and does not wear as
long as a summer tire.
The testing was conducted at
the Keweenaw Research Center in
Houghton County. The facility is
located at the Houghton County
Airport. It was designed and con
structed by Michigan Technological
University and is maintained by the
university as well. The portion of the
facility where we tested the tires is
known as the Vehicle Dynamic Area
or VDA. The VDA is a closed and
gated course consisting of several
testing areas.
Chrysler leases the facility for
several thousand dollars per day and
allows MSP to use the facility free of
charge as their guest. Sgt. McCarthy
told me the MSP maintains a close
relationship with Chrysler and it was
clearly evident. Not only did our
gracious hosts from Chrysler feed us
quite well, but they loaned us their
vehicle hoists, tools, and personnel to
change all of the tires on each vehicle
during the testing. One the privileges
of attending the testing was also
getting a sneak peak at some of the
future Dodge and Chrysler models.
The department contracted with
Race Logic to compile and analyze
the data. Go to racelogic.com to
learn more about this company.
Engineer Jim Lau from Race Logic
was assigned to compile and analyze
the data for the drive track team. The
simplest way to describe how the data
was collected is this. Each “platform”
(patrol car) is outfitted with two GPS
units on top of the vehicle – one
toward the front and one near the
back on top of the car. By placing two
separate GPS units toward the front
and rear of the vehicle, Race Logic
can measure the straight line as well
as lateral speed (cornering) of each
vehicle as it performs the various
tests. The placement of the GPS units
also allowed Race Logic to determine
the elevation of the vehicles as they
performed the tests. This was useful
when the vehicles performed the hill
climbing portion of the testing.
There is a circular track at Ke
weenaw Research Center consisting
of individual loops of 300, 600
and 900 feet in diameter. Sgt. Rob
Schwalm with Tpr. Tony VanLuchene
used the 300 foot circle to test lateral
acceleration. Lateral acceleration re
fers to the cornering capabilities of
the tires. The test consisted of driving
around the circle at a constant speed
and increasing speed by one mph
each lap until the vehicle experienced
understeer or oversteer. Sgt. Schwalm
performed this test clockwise and
counterclockwise. During the test,
the Racelogic equipment was plug
ged into the car’s computer while
also gathering its own data. This
allowed Jim Lau to cross reference
his equipment with the vehicle’s
wheel speed sensors at the moment
the tires lost traction and determine
lateral force. To keep the testing
consistent, Sgt. Schwalm performed
all the driving for this portion of the
testing. On each of the four vehicle
platforms, the Nokian tire performed
the best.
Sgt. Andy Douville and Tpr. Pat
Agema conducted the acceleration
and deceleration portion of the test.
Again for consistency, Sgt. Douville
performed all of the driving for these
tests. On a straight level packed snow
surface at the VDA, each vehicle
equipped with each tire was timed
accelerating from 0 to 30mph and
again from a rolling 7mph to 30mph.
Each tire was tested 10 separate times
with the traction control activated
and 10 additional times with traction
control off. Race Logic recorded the
results of all of the tests and computed
the average time for each tire. For
both Charger platforms, the overall
winner was the Nokian. While the
Nokian performed the best on both
Chargers, it should be noted that it
took the RWD Charger twice the
amount of time to reach a speed of
30mph from a stop (average of 11.10
seconds for RWD compared to 5.37
seconds for AWD). On the Chevy
Tahoe the Nokian and Goodyear
Ultra Grip performed the best and
their results were nearly identical.
On the Ford Explorer, the Firestone
Firehawk PVS actually performed
better than the Nokian and Good
Year Ultra Grip and the Ultra Grip
performed slightly better than the
Nokian.
Sgt. Douville and Tpr. Agema
also conducted deceleration testing
on the same portion of the course.
Again for consistency, Sgt. Douville
performed all of the driving. Each
vehicle platform outfitted with each
of the tires was tested 30 times. This
test consisted of bringing the vehicle
to a speed of 30mph before full brake
pressure was applied with ABS. Race
Logic logged the results of each test
and then came up with an average
distance and time it took to stop each
vehicle with each tire. Here, the clear
winner was the Nokian on all four
vehicle platforms.
The final test was the hill climb.
Again, each vehicle equipped with
each of the five tires was tested in its
ability to climb hills of various grades
from a complete stop at the bottom
of the hill. The hill grades were 7%,
10%, 15%, and 25%. I didn’t receive
the results from Race Logic for this
portion of the testing but according
to Sgt. Schwalm the Chevy Tahoe
with the Nokians performed the best
and was the only vehicle platform
that was able to climb the steepest
hill (25% grade).
With the exception of the Firestone
Firehawk PVS on the Ford Explorer
during the straight line acceleration
portion of the test, the Nokian tires
out-performed each of the other tires
on all of the vehicle platforms. Based
on the data, it appears the Nokians
are in fact, still the best tires for our
patrol cars.
If you recall earlier in this article,
I said I believed the RWD Charger
outfitted with winter tires would
perform better than the AWD
Charger with summer tires. Well, the
answer is yes . . . and no. In comparing
the RWD Charger outfitted with the
best performing tires (the Nokians)
and the AWD Charger outfitted with
the worst performing tires (Firestone
Firehawk Pursuit GT), the AWD
Charger beat the RWD Charger in
straight line acceleration. However,
the RWD Charger with Nokians beat
the AWD Charger with summer tires
in stopping and lateral acceleration
(cornering) so I guess it’s a draw.
Finally, if you drive a rear wheel
drive Charger, I encourage you to
check the tread depth on your tires
frequently. As I stated earlier, the
Nokian WRG3 is considered a winter
tire. There is a snowflake emblem
on the inside of the tire tread that
disappears at 5/32 inch indicating it
is worn out as a winter tire. The tire
is still acceptable for use during the
other three seasons but needs to be
replaced when it reaches 3/32 inch.
Here is the take away. We are
fortunate to have such a dedicated
group of professionals working for
our department at the drive track.
Rather than rely on other agencies
to determine what equipment is best
for our patrol cars, our MSP drive
track team is constantly testing and
implementing new innovations that
will make our jobs easier and safer. I
honestly had no idea how busy these
guys are and how hard they work.
Sgt. Schwalm told me the drive track
team approaches the testing of each
product from the standpoint that
they themselves may be returning
to road patrol and will be using the
same equipment. Their single most
priority is making the patrol car safer
and more functional for the trooper.
I’ve been fortunate to experience
a lot of technological advances in my
26 plus years in law enforcement.
In the not too distant future it may
be considered nostalgic to you tell
your cubs that ‘back in the day’ you
drove a rear wheel drive patrol car.
In the mean time, if that doesn’t give
you solace while patrolling winter
roads in a RWD Charger, I can teach
you a few colorful foreign words to
mutter out loud while your camera
is recording. Stay safe and keep it
between the snow banks. ■
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 17
~ In Memoriam ~
D/Sgt. Michael D. McGuire
January 10, 1964 – January 13, 2016
By: Sgt. Timothy Fitzgerald
Legislative Liaison/Legislative
and Legal Resources Section
D/Sgt. Mike McGuire, or
“Gramps” as many people knew him,
was one of my best friends. When I
was contacted to write an article
about him for the Trooper magazine,
my first thought was he’d hate this ...
but I am writing anyway so he can be
remembered for who he really was,
a loyal, honorable partner and friend.
Mike was a tremendously proud
father. Anyone that worked with him
always knew about he and Linda’s
kids’ many successes. In recent years
his grandson, really seemed to give
Mike a lot of enjoyment, and softened
up the old crusty Marine.
Mike was a proud veteran of the
U.S. Marine Corps, having served as a
Sergeant in 1st Force Reconnaissance
Company in the Gulf War. Mike
joined the Michigan State Police in
1999, a member of the 118th Trooper
Recruit School.
Mike earned the Top Gun award
for marksmanship in recruit school,
and eventually became a firearms
instructor for the department.
Mike was assigned to the Cold
water Post out of recruit school, and
I was his first FTO. Mike and I got
along right from the start. Ironic
as this seems now, one of the first
calls we were dispatched to was an
attempted suicide. As we entered the
house there was a male on the couch
with a self inflicted gun shot wound,
moaning. Mike, with two weeks on
the job, looked down at him, and his
first comment was “you ‘messed’ that
up, didn’t you?” I knew right away he
would make it in the State Police.
Mike always carried himself with
this stern command bearing, but
once you got to know him he had
a sense of humor and a true ability
to make people laugh. On one
occasion, at the annual Coldwater
Post fishing trip, he hooked his
partner, retired D/Sgt. Jim Karbon,
in his eye lid while casting. Mike had
to remove the lure with pliers, all the
while making it seem like Jim was
somehow responsible for the whole
thing. Mike later had the lure set in a
shadow box and presented it to Jim at
his retirement party – along with his
version of the tale.
Mike was a great story teller and
could talk to anyone. I remember
when Mike talked a New York City
cab driver into lowering a fare. I
also recall many times when he
was able to get others to see things
from his point of view, usually to his
advantage. Mike eventually went to
the Southwest Enforcement Team,
where he used his “ Irish Diplomacy”
excelling in narcotics investigation.
Mike was selected to be on the
Governors Security Detail, and
served for three years until his pro
motion to D/Sgt. and returned to
narcotics investigations which he had
such a passion for.
Mike was a great friend, loyal
and reliable. There were many times
when I reached out to him and leaned
on him, and he was always there for
me. Mike was a friend to many and
always kept in touch with people
after transfers, reassignments, etc.
It was Mike who always took the
time to call people. When I spoke
at his funeral, I mentioned this and
challenged those present to take that
time. Cherish your close friends and
make those check-in calls. I know
I certainly wish I would have made
one to Mike after receiving an email
that struck me as odd the day before
he died. Unfortunately I didn’t. Mike
took his own life on January 13th.
Lt. Mario Gonzales, speaking at
Tpr. Chad Wolf’s funeral, captured
it perfectly. It’s not how he died, it’s
how he lived.
Mike McGuire represented every
thing good about being a husband,
father, friend, partner, and team
member. Mike was larger than life in
many ways. However, he was human,
with real struggles too that he didn’t
burden anyone with out of a sense
of honor. To all who were fortunate
enough to know him and work with
him, please share your stories with
those that didn’t, and raise a glass in
his memory. ■
Sláinte, McGuire
~ May God grant you
a generous share
of eternity. ~
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 19
Bill Would Rename U.S. 127
to Honor Fallen Trooper
MSPTA’s 11th President Passes Away
~ In Memory ~
Obituary for Herbert Bradley Ketzler
January 10, 1964 – January 13, 2016
Submitted By:
Lynn Marie Ketzler
Herbert Bradley Ketzler passed
away peacefully at the home he
shared with his current wife, Linda
King Ketzler, on Tuesday, November
24, 2015. His passing was the result
of Cerebrovascular Disease which
presented itself in late May of 2015.
He is survived by his children,
Mike, father of Ashley and Andy
Ketzler, and Lynn Marie, mother
of Emma and Tyler Kremers. He
was married to Georgia England
Ketzler for 50 years until her
passing in 2009. His oldest
brother, David, passed in July
of 2015. He is also survived
by siblings, Peter, Mike, and
Martha Ketzler, and many
loving nieces and nephews.
Linda King was not only
his wife, she was his friend,
training partner and caregiver.
Linda has three daughters,
Tiffany, Amanda and Tammy.
Herbert was born in
Flint, Michigan, on April 21,
1936, to Dorothy and Curtis
Ketzler. Being raised in a rural
area on a dairy farm and nursery,
he grew up loving the outdoors and
initially wanted to become part of
the forest service after high school.
During high school he was very active
in football and other extracurricular
activities.
After graduating from Swartz
Creek High School in 1954, Herbert
enlisted in the United States Marine
Corps and proudly served for five
years. Following the Marine Corps,
his natural instinct was to continue
to serve by applying to the Michigan
State Police. He graduated from recruit
school in 1962 and was assigned to
the Jackson Post. He transferred to
the Munising Post where he served
the remainder of his 23 years with the
MSP. Herbert received several awards
and recognition for his work with
the community, including
the
Governor’s ‘Citizen of the Year’
award in 1972. He served as the
11th President of the Michigan State
Police Troopers Association. He was
also very active in The Marine Corp
League and Moose Lodge.
Upon retirement, he and Georgia
moved to Reno, Nevada. He did
not fully retire, working in several
areas including casino security,
transportation, and tour guiding. He
fell in love with the area and enjoyed
being a guide so he could share his
knowledge of The Great Basin with
others. He also became a competitive
race walker and runner, and won
countless awards.
The most important thing about
my father was that he was
a chameleon. He could be
compassionate, stern, selfless,
resourceful, and deeply com
mitted – all dependent on the
given situation. I believe that
his best characteristic was his
sense of humor. One of his
favorite things to do was to
make his brother David laugh
until he would fall off his
kitchen counter. He brought
something different to each
life he touched depending on
their needs.
He went too quickly and
too soon and we were lucky
to have him in our lives. I
hope many of you are able to
attend the service and share
your stories and experiences so
that we may keep him alive in spirit
as well as our hearts. His ashes will
be spread in Virginia City, Nevada –
a place where he spent a lot of time
researching and hosting tours.
A service will be held in his honor
on Thursday, June 30, 2016, in Muni
sing, Michigan, at the American Le
gion Post 131, 610 Munising Avenue,
at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome. ■
Ken Palmer
Lansing State Journal
February 9, 2016
Reprinted with permission.
LANSING – A section of US-127 near Leslie would
be named for a long-fallen Michigan State Police
trooper under a bill introduced today in the state
Legislature.
Trooper Craig Scott, 28, was shot and killed during
Michigan State Police
a traffic stop in southern Ingham County on February
Fallen Trooper Memorial
9, 1982. Tuesday is the 34th anniversary of his death.
Ceremony, 2011.
“It’s long past time that we honored Trooper Scott
(Photo Credit: Michigan State Police.)
and his family for his sacrifice,” said state Sen. Curtis
Hertel Jr., D-Meridian Twp., the bill’s sponsor.
Senate Bill 775 would designate U.S. 127 between Bellevue Road and the Jackson County line as the “Trooper Craig
Scott Memorial Highway,” Hertel said.
It was along that stretch where Scott had arrested a driver and was placing him in the patrol car when a passenger
came up behind him and shot him three times with a .38-caliber revolver, according to the Michigan State Police
Troopers Association. Despite his injuries, Scott returned fire as the suspects fled in the stolen Chevrolet Camaro.
The suspects drove into Leslie, robbed someone of an Oldsmobile Cutlass and were later arrested by the Ingham
County Sheriff’s Department, MSPTA said. Both had extensive criminal records and were sentenced to life in prison in
Scott’s death.
Hertel said he was a young child at the time of the incident and doesn’t know Scott’s family. He said he became aware
of the upcoming anniversary last year and wrote the bill for introduction on that day.
“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for those who serve on the front lines and give their lives in the line
of duty,” he said.
The bill will go to the Senate Transportation Committee. ■
Happy
Birthday,
Clarence!
On December 6, 2015, F/Lt. Dale Hinz
and Tpr. Tom Coles paid a visit to
MSP retiree Clarence Bonter who was
celebrating his 105th birthday!
Clarence Bonter retired on
December 5, 1960 from
the Paw Paw Post as a
specialty sergeant.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 21
MSPTA January Quarterly
Submitted By:
Sp./Sgt. Carissa Horan
120th RS | Lansing Lab/
Firearms & Toomarks
On January 29-31, 2016, approx
imately 200 Michigan State Police
troopers, sergeants and their guests
converged at the Great Wolf Lodge
in Traverse City, Michigan, in what
has become one of the most popular
quarterly venues. Those who arrived
on Friday enjoyed the arcade and
waterpark before catching up with
old friends and getting to know
some of the newer troopers at the
hospitality suite.
Saturday morning’s training ses
sion provided an overview of the
different pension systems and the
importance of supplemental retire
ment savings and how much extra
income may be generated by con
tributing to accounts such as 401ks,
457s and IRAs.
After lunch the general session
began with a moment of silence
being offered for Tpr. Chad Wolf
and D/Sgt. Mike McGuire, as well as
thoughts and prayers for the family of
Tpr. Rich Chaffee who have recently
endured an inordinate amount of
difficulties and hardships.
Next MSPTA members heard
from Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue and
Lt./Col. Thomas Sands in reference
to the hiring of new troopers (ap
proximately 150 recruits over the
course of three schools), the potential
budget impact of the Flint water
crisis on state departments, as well
as the anticipated delivery of new
winter hats and an upcoming vote on
wearing campaign hats for the 100th
year anniversary of the Michigan
State Police. Both Col. Etue and Lt./
Col. Sands made themselves avail
able for additional questions and
discussions in the evening.
Sgt. Rob Schwalm provided reas
surance to members that the drive
track had thoroughly tested patrol
car tires and those selected were
the best available. He advised all
available winter and all-season tires
were tested both last winter and this
winter with the Nokian tire being
the overall best performing tire.
Sgt. Schwalm also requested to the
membership to consider donating
to the Michigan State Troopers
Assistance Fund (MSTAF). MSTAF
provides immediate cash assistance
to members and families who
experience unforeseen duty related
hardships. Everyone who signed
up for MSTAF was entered into a
drawing for a 4k Smart TV (won by
Tpr. Tim Roberts). Also, raffle tickets
were sold for a commemorative 60th
MSPTA anniversary Colt model 1911
pistol for further MSTAF funding.
Additional raffle tickets – a maximum
of 500 – will be sold with the drawing
being held at the July Quarterly.
Mr. Larry Schneider, MSPTA’s
legal counsel, advised members of
a potential Supreme Court ruling
effecting union membership and
the rights of members to opt out of
paying dues, yet still receive the same
benefits negotiated in the contract.
Likely, we will hear more about this
ruling in the future. Vice-President
D/Sgt. Duane Hickok commented
on a grievance currently in process
with regards to lab positions being
dually posted for both enlisted and
civilians that deviates from past
practice of offering the positions to
enlisted first.
Members and their families en
joyed the amenities of the hotel
for the remainder of the afternoon
before reconvening for dinner,
drinks, socializing and, of course,
the MSTAF raff le drawing. The
MSPTA was fortunate to have the
family of Tpr. Chad Wolf present as
guests for the weekend. Members of
the Wolf family drew the winning
raffle tickets. Historically, the Great
Wolf Lodge quarterly has been
well-attended and for good reason.
Everyone had a great time! ■
There was a full house at the January Quarterly, held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.
I want to thank State Representative Larry Inman for taking time out of his weekend to spend with our
members answering questions and swearing in the 2016 MSPTA executive board. Representative Inman
is from the 104th District representing Grand Traverse County. Inman sits on the House Appropriations
Committee where he has been an advocate for the Michigan State Police.
Thank you to Senator Wayne Schmidt of the 37 th District covering Luce, Chippewa, Mackinac, Emmet,
Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Antrim and Grand Traverse counties. Senator Schmidt donated Traverse City
souvenirs to the quarterly raffle helping raise money for MSTAF our 501(c)3 charity. Senator Schmidt
introduced Senate Bill 218 which would guarantee healthcare for surviving spouses and dependents of law
enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
MSPTA President Nate Johnson
See more Quarterly photos on pages 24-25.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 23
Waterpark?
What waterpark?
Already been there!
Tpr. Tim Roberts (Flint Post),
was the lucky winner of
the 65" smart tv!
Everyone had a “howling” good time at the Great Wolf Lodge!
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 25
Work of Troopers Honors Memory of Mapes
2016 Cpl. Sam Mapes Awards
Editor’s Note: Introduction to this
article is provided by Sgt. Mike Sura,
119th Recruit School, Brighton Post,
and has been adapted from his “Ask
A Trooper” column that appeared in
the Livingston Daily Press & Argus on
February 28, 2016. The article further
includes information provided from
the Michigan Department of State
Police.
In 1927, Al Capone ruled Chicago,
and paid corrupt police, judges and
lawyers to build an illegal empire.
He had liquor brought in from
Canada, with routes that ran through
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
One of these routes passed through
the patrol area of Cpl. Sam Mapes of
the Michigan State Police.
On the afternoon of May 1, 1927,
Mapes made a traffic stop on two
vehicles traveling through the area.
These vehicles were filled with
crates of an unknown liquid. Mapes
questioned the drivers of these
vehicles and through his investigation
discovered they were indeed rum
runners. The bottles in question were
filled with liquor.
Mapes could have easily ignored
the problem, issued a citation, and
let them go on their way. He could
have just let them go. However, this
is not the Michigan State Police way.
He advised the men they were going
to be under arrest. One of the men
facing arrest decided to offer Mapes
a bribe of $300.
In 1927, a bribe of that nature
would be equivalent to offering
someone $4,000 by today’s standard.
A lot of money – Why not? It was
only liquor, no big deal, and in those
days it happened all the time.
However, that was not the Mich
igan State Police way either.
Mapes would not dishonor his
department, or himself. Mapes re
fused the bribe, stopped a motorist
and asked him to call for assistance
(in those days there was no such
things as radios for law enforcement
to call for back-up).
While Mapes was talking to the
motorist, the suspect came up from
behind him, grabbed his weapon and
fired point-blank range into Mapes’
body. The suspect then took Mapes’
weapon and fled the scene.
Days later, after an intense investi
gation and manhunt, the suspect was
eventually tracked down and brought
to justice. He was convicted by a jury
and sentenced to life imprisonment
in the Jackson prison.
Now why do I tell you this story?
Because, this year is the first year of
the Michigan State Police Cpl. Mapes
Award. The award was named in his
honor and memory. The sacrifice
Mapes made that day is a cornerstone
in the building of integrity that
was started back in 1917, when this
department first formed. He refused
to sway to corruption, refused to
ignore the problem, carried out his
duty and looked deeper into the situ
ation rather than just ignoring it.
The honesty Mapes displayed was
important for his fellow troopers and
the department. During prohibition,
public corruption was rampant and
there was low public regard for police
officers. Corporal Mapes’ refusal to
accept a bribe, at the cost of his own
life, significantly improved our de
partment’s image.
The state police looked at data
of each trooper’s activity while at
work to determine the awards. These
awards ref lect the best of the best,
those who lead at the post. The award
is presented to the top five percent of
troopers in each district for the overall
amount of felony arrests they make.
About the possibility of being
killed on the job, a police officer is
one of the only professions where its
ranks come to work not knowing if
they will save a life, take a life or give
their life.
Mapes was the seventh Michigan
trooper to die in the line of duty, and
was awarded a Citation of Valor for
his actions and integrity. ■
The award was named in his honor and memory. The sacrifice Mapes made
that day is a cornerstone in the building of integrity that was started back in 1917,
when this department first formed. He refused to sway to corruption,
refused to ignore the problem, carried out his duty and looked deeper
into the situation rather than just ignoring it.
. . . The honesty Mapes displayed was important for his fellow troopers
and the department.
The 2016 Cpl. Sam Mapes Awards were presented at a ceremony held
at the Michigan State Police Training Academy on Thursday, January
28, 2016. There are over 1,000 Michigan State Police troopers in the
department. This year, 64 troopers statewide received the award.
(Photo Credit: Kimberly Dowling, MSP Photo Lab)
The 2016 Cpl. Sam Mapes
award recipients and
their MSP posts are:
First District
Trooper Don Pasternak........Brighton
Trooper Ray Matthews.........Brighton
Trooper Tony Weldy................Jackson
Trooper Thomas Kill............Brighton
Trooper Dan Clise.................Brighton
Trooper Ty Purdy...................Brighton
Trooper Dan Verlin...............Brighton
Trooper Jeffrey Duttlinger.....Jackson
Trooper Lance Tedora........... Monroe
Trooper David Williams........ Lansing
Trooper Jeffery Schrieber.......District
Hometown Security Team
Second District
Trooper Matt Kiser....................Metro
Trooper Chris Kurish................Metro
Trooper Travis Hop....................Metro
Trooper Benjamin Sonstrom....Metro
Trooper Mandy Coy...................Metro
Trooper Armin Harba...............Metro
Trooper David Skeans...............Metro
Trooper Tim Madison................Metro
Third District
Trooper Dan Richter....................Flint
Trooper John Faucette II.............Flint
Trooper Thomas Pinkerton........Flint
Trooper Nicholas Medina...........Flint
Trooper Jason P. Coon.................Flint
Trooper Bryant Greenert...... Tri-City
Trooper Justin Kemerer......... Tri-City
Trooper Jason E. Raymond.................
West Branch
Trooper Paige Kinneberg............Caro
Trooper Daniel Stickel............District
Trooper Aaron Locke.............. Lapeer
Sixth District
Trooper Chris Boven...........Rockford
Trooper Jordan Lohman.....Rockford
Trooper Andrew Wilson......................
Mt. Pleasant
Trooper Brock Benavides.....................
Mt. Pleasant
Trooper Blake Bitner.......Mt. Pleasant
Trooper Ben Stadler.............Lakeview
Trooper Ryan Akers.............Rockford
Trooper Ryan Maki..............Lakeview
Trooper Jeff Hammond............... Hart
Seventh District
Trooper Marc R. Moore........ Cadillac
Trooper Rick E. Pearson....... Cadillac
Trooper Jeffrey Mercer.......... Gaylord
Trooper Anthony Utt...............Alpena
Trooper Michael A. Wilt......................
Houghton Lake
Fifth District
Eighth District
Trooper Todd Workman...... Wayland
Trooper Keegan Riley...........Marshall
Trooper Cameron K. Sweet....... Niles
Trooper Ernest Felkers......... Wayland
Trooper Matthew Berry........Marshall
Trooper James A. Janes............... Niles
Trooper Benjamin A. Mahaffie...........
Niles
Trooper John C. Moore..........District
Trooper Lena Wileczek.........Paw Paw
Trooper Blaine Bachman..... Wayland
Trooper Jeremy Cleary...........Calumet
Trooper John Janicki...........St. Ignace
Trooper William Crisp........Negaunee
Trooper Kevin Ryan............Negaunee
Trooper Thomas Nolan......Negaunee
Trooper Paul Ferraro..........St. Ignace
Trooper Scott A. Ritsema.....................
Iron Mountain
Trooper Joshua Filz.............Wakefield
Trooper James Maki........... Gladstone
Trooper Joseph LeBlanc.......................
Sault Ste. Marie
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 27
Hart Post Detectives Receive
Meritorious Service Award
At a special ceremony held in
Lansing, Michigan State Police
(MSP) Director Col. Kriste Kibbey
Etue presented D/Sgt. John Forner,
D/Sgt. Scott Rios and D/Sgt.
Michael Stephens of the Hart Post
with the MSP Meritorious Service
Award for their diligence during a
very complex, 26-year-old cold case
investigation involving the homicide
of Ms. Shannon Siders.
After failing to return home
one evening in July 1989, Siders
was reported missing to the MSP
Newaygo Post by her father.
In early September 1989, identi
fication and other items belonging
to Siders were found in the national
forest and brought to the Newaygo
Post. The area was searched where
the items were found, but no evi
dence was located. In October 1989,
Siders’ remains were recovered in the
national forest and her cause of death
was ruled a homicide.
Investigators established a time
line and learned that Siders was
last seen alive in the company of
two brothers. As the investigation
cont inued, additional leads were
submitted and multiple suspects
and theories were explored, but tips
became sparse over time and the
investigation grew cold.
In 2011, a cold case task force
comprised of Forner, Rios and
Stephens, along with officers from
the Newaygo Police Department
and the Newaygo County Sheriff’s
Department was formed to reexamine
the case. Detectives examined all
available evidence, collected missing
D/Sgt. John Forner
D/Sgt. Scott Rios
D/Sgt. Michael Stephens
Theis Honors Brighton Troopers
documents and compiled a list of
suspect theories.
After the task force indexed the
report of over 2,000 pages and
conducted over 500 interviews, the
original suspects were again identified
as prime suspects in the case.
In June 2014, homicide warrants
were obtained and the suspects
were arrested. The case went to trial
in April 2015 and in May 2015 one
suspect was convicted of first degree
murder and the other suspect was
convicted of second degree murder.
In awarding Forner, Rios and
Stephens with the department’s
Meritorious Service Award, the MSP
Board of Awards recognizes that
without their dedication and expert
investigative skills, justice may have
never been obtained for Siders.
Forner joined the department in
1998, graduating as a member of the
117th Trooper Recruit School. Prior
to being assigned to the Hart Post,
he served at the Grand Haven and
Rockford posts, as well as the Sixth
District Headquarters.
Rios joined the department in
1988, graduating as a member of
the 103rd Trooper Recruit School.
Prior to being assigned to the Hart
Post, he served at the Ypsilanti,
Detroit, Lakeview, Grand Haven and
Newaygo posts.
Stephens joined the department in
1999, graduating as a member of the
118th Trooper Recruit School. Prior
to being assigned to the Hart Post, he
served at the Newaygo, Lakeview and
Mt. Pleasant posts. ■
Michigan Rep. Lana Theis presents
an award to Michigan State Police
Trooper James Gilmer.
Lisa Roose-Church
Livingston Daily Press & Argus
February 17, 2016
Reprinted with permission.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Roose-Church/
Livingston Daily.
State Representative Lana Theis
presented Troopers James Gilmer,
Donald Pasternak and Raymond
Matthews with a plaque at a brief
ceremony Monday at the post on
Buno Road in Brighton Township.
“It’s a unique time in policing,”
Theis, R-Brighton Township, said.
“The defense of our first responders
is huge. … I find it amazing the
frustration against our police officers
by some of those in the community.
“I think the vast majority of us
really appreciate what you do and
understand to the extent that some
civilians can’t understand how much
time and effort you put into this and
it is your life,” she told the troopers.
“There is never actually a time you put
it down. It’s important to recognize
when you go above and beyond.”
Gilmer, who has been with the state
police for 15 years, was recognized
for saving a woman who suffered
a life-threatening self-inflicted leg
wound. Gilmer said although he is
aware not everyone in the community
trusts police offices, it is officers’ goal
“everyday to build that trust” and to
work with the community.
Pasternak, whose childhood dream
Trooper Donald Pasternak.
was to be an officer, echoed Gilmer’s
sentiment. Theis recognized Paster
nak, who has been at the Brighton
Post for more than three years, for
providing emergency medical care to
a semi driver who was trapped in his
vehicle and suffering serious injuries
from a multi-vehicle crash in January,
2015, in Washtenaw County. “I think
it’s great the community recognizes
us for positive things,” he said.
Matthews agreed, but he deflected
recognition from himself to the
Brighton Post troopers as a whole.
Matthews, who has been a trooper
Trooper Raymond Matthews.
for five years, helped a motorcyclist
who was “in a state of delirium”
and suffering from life-threatening
injuries in September, 2014. Matthews
helped stop the man’s blood flow
and helped keep him conscious until
paramedics arrived on scene.
“It’s nice to shine the light; not on
me personally, but on the post and
police in general,” Matthews said.
“It’s our job. I was only doing my job.
I’m supposed to help.” ■
Michigan Representative Lana Theis, R-Brighton Township, recognized three
state police troopers from the Brighton Post on Monday for saving citizens’ lives.
Pictured, from left, Lt. Kevin Caldwell, Trooper James Gilmer, Theis, T
roopers
Donald Pasternak and Raymond Matthews, and Post Commander F/Lt. Joel A
llen. ▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 29
Good Job Troops!
LARCENY OF ELECTRICITY/
UDAA RECOVERY: On 01/03, Tprs.
Jeff Lowder and Tiler Bacon were in
vest igating a larceny of electricity from
Consumers Power. Tprs. Bacon, Lowder,
and Tpr. Jeffrey Duttlinger made
contact at the residence. A LEIN check
was conducted on all occupants. A male
and female, visiting from Arkansas, were
wanted out of the Oklahoma for felony
UDAA. Tpr. Lowder interviewed the
caretaker of the home and he gave a full
confession to the theft of the electricity.
Troopers also noticed a white van in the
yard with no registration plate. Upon
further investigation, Troopers noticed
the ignition had been punched and a
leatherman tool was on the driver’s
seat. A VIN check was done showing
the vehicle to be confirmed stolen out
of Arkansas. Tpr. Lowder also located
suspected methamphetamine from the
male out of town visitor. Both the male
and female were lodged at the Hillsdale
County Jail for possession of stolen
property, outstanding warrants, and
possession of methamphetamine. The
subjects will also be awaiting extradition
back to Oklahoma. Great investigative
teamwork by all! Further investigation
to continue by the Jackson Post. AUTH:
Sgt. Frank Williams – MSP Jackson Post
PWID/ATTEMPTED
DRUG
SMUGGLING INTO A STATE
PRI
SON/FUGITIVE: D/Sgt. Mi
chael Schroeder, Sault Ste. Marie Post,
received a call from Kinross Correction
al Facility regarding a suspicious SUV,
silver in color, driving near the prison.
D/Sgt. Schroeder called Chippewa
County Central Dispatch and requested
a BOLO aired on the vehicle. Tpr.
Ryan Godfrey, St. Ignace Post stopped
the vehicle just prior to it crossing the
Mackinac Bridge. D/Sgt. Gary Demers,
St. Ignace Post interv iewed the driver
and passenger after receiving additional
information from D/Sgt. Schroeder.
MDOC recovered several canisters in
the woods near the prison containing 7
cell phones and approximately 2 pounds
of marijuana. Eventually, both suspects
admitted to their involvement. There is a
female believed to be involved from the
Kincheloe area. A first name was given
and D/Sgt. Schroeder was able to obtain
a last name from checks with local law
enforcement. MIOC analysts were re
quested to assist with a work up on
the relationship and origin of the drug
dealer (aka: JRock) out of the Detroit
area. As of now, 8th District HST is
transporting the male driver (age 20) and
male passenger (age 22) to the Chippewa
County Jail on charges of PWID and
Attempted Drug Smuggling into a State
Prison. The passenger also had a felony
warrant out of Detroit for Assault with
a Dangerous Weapon. Excellent team
work by all involved personnel! AUTH:
D/F/Lt. Robert Pernaski, 8th District
HQ – SIS
3rd DISTRICT FUGITIVE TEAM:
The 3rd District Fugitive Team was
requested to attempt to locate and arrest
a man wanted in Indiana for Homicide.
Detectives reported the man shot the
victim to death at a motel in Indian
apolis and was rumored to have fled to
the Flint area. Multiple days were spent
on surveillance with the assistance of
HST and the Flint FBI Safe Streets
Team. Contact was made with multiple
family members and friends of the sus
pect, resulting in numerous arrests for
unrelated drug and gun crimes. Infor
mation received from an arrest led
the Team to an address in the City of
Flint. The Homicide suspect was finally
arrested on 1/5 with the assistance
of FBI Safe Streets and Tpr. Joseph
Labelle (K9-31) with his recently healed
partner, “Zeke”. The suspect now awaits
extradition back to Indiana. AUTH:
D/Sgt. Joe Jones, 3rd District Fugitive
Team
SAULT STE. MARIE POST AC
TIV
I
T Y: Tpr. Dan Browne began
an embezzlement investigation on
10/19/15. The complainant, a business
owner in Newberry, found possible
evidence that one of his employees was
embezzling money from at least one
of the companies’ gas stations. Tpr.
Browne was able to ascertain through
his investigation that an employee and
her husband had embezzled in excess of
$100,000.00 over several years, maybe
as much as $500,000. On January 5th,
Tpr. Browne arrested the employee on
a 2 count felony warrant for Conspiracy
to commit Embezzlement $100,000.00
or more & Embezzlement $100,000.00
or more and her husband on a 1 count
felony warrant for Conspiracy to commit
embezzlement $100,000.00 or more. To
add a little salt to the wounds, the suspect
is receiving unemployment compensa
tion for being fired for theft. AUTH:
F/Lt. David Hopper, Sault Ste. Marie Post
TRAVERSE NARCOTICS TEAM
ACTIVIT Y: Tpr. Andrew Wilson of
the Mt. Pleasant post conducted a traffic
stop of an individual which turned into
a successful confidential informant for
TNT. An undercover officer was able to
go direct with the suspect and completed
successful purchases of marijuana from
the suspect within the past three months.
On 01/06, TNT executed a search
warrant at a residence in Reed City, MI.
Subsequent to the search warrant TNT
seized a marijuana grow operation (21
plants) along with processed marijuana
packaged for resale, scales, TNT buy
money, a long gun, cross bow, and drug
proceeds. In addition, interviews were
conducted at the suspect’s residence
which revealed that the suspect was
selling Marijuana to high school students
from the Reed City area. The suspect
was lodged at the Osceola County Jail on
numerous Drug Felony charges. AUTH:
D/Lt. Dan King, TNT
PUTTING OUT FIRES: At the con
clusion of Sgt. Dale Lynema’s after
noon shift on 01/14, he overheard a fire
department call concerning a truck fire
that was burning next to an attached
garage of a residence. This location was
close to Sgt. Lynema’s home, and he
responded to the scene to assist. Tpr.
Blaine Bachman also responded. Upon
their arrival they found that the truck
was almost fully engulfed in flames.
The homeowner and a local volunteer
fire fighter had just utilized two fire
extinguishers with nil results. After
Sgt. Lynema’s extinguisher had been
emptied, everyone at the scene began
to shovel snow onto the burning truck,
which slowed the fire considerably. A fire
truck eventually arrived and completely
extinguished the remaining flames.
The actions of all involved undoubtedly
minimized the potential property dam
age. This successful conclusion was an
unanticipated benefit of the Assigned
Vehicle Program. AUTH: Sgt. Michael
Jafri, Wayland Post
2nd DISTRICT HST: On 01/16, 2nd
District HST stopped a rental vehicle
on s/b I-75 in Monroe County for im
proper lane use. While speaking with
the occupants of the vehicle, troopers
became suspicious and asked for con
sent to search. Consent was granted
and a searched was conducted. While
searching the vehicle, troopers located
444 oxycodone pills hidden behind the
carpeting in the trunk. The passenger
of the vehicle admitted to the pills and
stated that he was paid $500 to deliver
the pills to Loraine, OH. Also on 01/16,
2nd District HST stopped a vehicle
for following too closely on s/b I-75 in
Monroe County. After speaking with
the occupants of the vehicle, troopers
became suspicious and asked for consent
to search. Consent was denied. K9-20
and “Otto” performed a sniff around the
vehicle, giving a positive indication for
narcotics. The vehicle was then searched.
778 oxycontin pills were located hidden
in the dash, behind the radio. The driver
of the vehicle was arrested for PWID
analogues. Auth: Sgt. John Duffy, 2nd
District HST
METRO POST, UNLAWFUL IM
PRISONM ENT/DOMESTIC: On
01/10, Tprs. William Dobberstein,
David Busacca and Samuel Lentine
(Bruce Twp. detachment) responded
to a 911 call of a domestic in progress.
Upon arrival Troopers observed through
a window a male walking around in the
residence. The male refused to answer the
door as troopers repeatedly requested.
When Tprs. overheard a female screaming
and crying inside the residence, they
forced their way inside and located the
40 year old female locked against her
will inside the bathroom. The 32 year
old male had retreated to the basement.
Tprs. cautiously made entry into the
basement locating the belligerent male
suspect and after a brief confrontation
took him into custody. The suspect had
several warrants for probation violation
and a PPO against him from the victim.
It was also learned that Tpr. Dobberstein
had previously arrested the same suspect
for domestic violence against the victim
on 12-20-15 and was awaiting trial. After
interviews (and multiple threats of future
retribution from the suspect) the suspect
was lodged on charges of Unlawful
Imprisonment, MDOP and probation
violations. Fantastic Job by all troopers
involved. AUTH: Sgt. Jay Rider, Metro
Post, Bruce Twp. Detachment
SAGINAW SCP ACTIVITY: On
01/19, Tprs. Adam Whited and Justin
Kemerer initiated a traffic stop on a
vehicle for an equipment violation. The
passenger identified himself with a false
I.D. card and fled on foot when he was
about to be confronted by the troopers.
A foot pursuit ensued and the passenger
was eventually caught and identified
utilizing the Mobile I.D. Fingerprint
Scanner. He had three felony warrants in
LEIN for AWIM, Possession of Cocaine,
and Felonious Assault. A search of the
vehicle located 2 stolen semi-automatic
handguns, .40 cal. Ruger and .45 cal.
Springfield, both loaded. Both driver
and passenger lodged for several charges
including, CCW, Felon in Possession of
Firearm, Possession of Analogues, and
Possession of Stolen Firearm. AUTH:
Lt. John Julin, Tri-City Post
WAYLAND POST ACTIVITY: On
01/19, Tpr. Anthony Adams was dis
patched to a residential fire in south
ern Barry County. While on scene, fire
department personnel advised Tpr.
Adams they observed signs of illegal
drugs while extinguishing the fire in
the residence. Tpr. Adams entered the
residence to ensure no persons remained
inside. While clearing the residence,
Tpr. Adams observed marijuana plants
growing in multiple locations. SWET
was contacted to assist with the inves
tigat ion. The homeowner arrived at
the scene but refused consent to search
his house. SWET detectives obtained a
search warrant for the residence. During
the search SWET detectives located and
seized one hundred forty seven (147)
marijuana plants, BHO, and a firearm.
The homeowner told SWET detectives
he was a member of the Cannabis Church
in Hawaii and believed he could possess
marijuana due to his religious beliefs. Charges will be sought against the
homeowner. AUTH: D/Sgt. Raymond
Durham, SWET
FLINT ACTIVITY: Tprs. Thomas
Pinkerton and Derek Hoffmann ob
served a subject walking in the road
way on Brownell where sidewalks are
prov ided and attempted to contact the
subject and in doing so the subject fled
on foot. As he was running away Tpr.
Hoffman observed the subject with a
black metallic object in his hand. The
subject was apprehended after troopers
searched the area. Once in custody the
subject did not have anything on his
person. The suspect tracks were traced in
the snow and it lead troopers to a brush
pile where a loaded .357 magnum was
recovered. The subject was interviewed
and admitted to having the weapon and
trying to hide it after he ran. AUTH:
Lt. Amy Dehner, Flint Post
MSP JACKSON POST LIFE
SAV
ING: On 1-26, Tprs. Stephen Kings
ley and Kyle Michael were dispatched
to the city of Litchfield for a report of a
21 year old male who was trying to hang
himself. Troopers arrived and found the
victim hanging from a rope around his
neck that was tied to a tree. The victim’s
friend who saw the attempt from inside
a residence, was trying to hold up the
victim. Trooper Michael helped to hold
the victim up, while Trooper Kingsley
climbed the tree and cut the rope freeing
the victim. The victim who later became
combative with EMS is expected to
survive. AUTH: Sgt. Toby Baker, MSP
Jackson Post
WEST BRANCH POST LIFE SAV
ING: On 1/26, Tpr. Robert Lee, a
Gladwin PD officer, and a Gladwin
County sergeant responded to a house
fire on Hockaday Road in Gladwin
County. Upon arrival, the house was
engulfed in flames. Tpr. Lee and the
Gladwin officer gained entry into the
residence and located an elderly woman
who was unconscious and not breathing.
They removed her from the residence and
initiated rescue breathing and revived
the victim. Tpr. Lee was treated and
released for smoke inhalation. AUTH:
F/Lt. Chris Luty, West Branch Post ■
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 31
Making the News ...
Trooper of the Year at Tri-City Post
Trooper Among Monroe County’s Officers of the Year
At a time when many police
officers around the country are being
vilified or targeted, four in Monroe
County are being commended and
congratulated.
On Thursday, February 11, 2016,
during the Monroe Exchange Club’s
47th annual Officer of the Year event,
38th Circuit Judge Mark S. Braunlich
spoke of how it seems some people
are waiting for the next police video
to go viral.
“Accordingly, the importance of
recognizing and acknowledging the
efforts of law enforcement is more
important than ever,” the judge told
the audience. “The quality of life we
enjoy in our community is dependent
on dedicated law enforcement pro
fessionals.”
He called the four recipients “in
strumental leaders in making our
community a safer place for us and
our families.”
The four are Michigan State Police
Trooper Robert Bow of the Monroe
Post; South Rockwood police Officer
Greg Henke, Monroe County
Sheriff’s Detective Jeff Hooper, and
Cpl. Daniel Clanton of the Monroe
Police Department.
Trooper Bow, 34, has been a state
police officer for seven years.
He has served on the Emergency
Support Team and as a detective in
the drug unit MANTIS.
Since 2013 he has been a volunteer
trainer for the Monroe High School
football team and assists in mentoring
young men with advice on leadership
and personal responsibility.
He also serves as a field training
officer and represents the department
in ceremonial details.
“I have found him to consistently
maintain a positive attitude regardless
of the circumstances faced,” said F/
Lt. Tony Cuevas, post commander.
“He accepts assignments without
hesitation and strives to do his
personal best.”
Trooper Bow, a member of the
121st Trooper Recruit School, is a
seven-year veteran of the Air Force
where he earned the rank of staff
sergeant and served two tours of duty
in Iraq.
“This is a great event, the only
event of its kind,” he said. “It means
a lot to us to be recognized for the
work we put in. I feel humbled.”
Trooper Bow and his wife, Amy,
have an 18-month-old son, Michael. ■
LAPEER, Michigan (WEYI: Reprinted with permission.) — The family of a little boy rescued from a burning house
is thanking Michigan State Police troopers.
“We thought he was dead. It’s pretty hard,” said father Curt Lewis.
Holding back tears, Curt Lewis from Lapeer relived the moments his home caught fire with his son Ashton still
trapped inside. He says Troopers Jared Grigg and John Sholtz rushed to the house and quickly sprang into action.
Firefighters say they ran into the burning home. Sholtz found Ashton and Grigg safely removed him and began
first aid.
They were heroic efforts, but these troopers say they were
just doing their job. “It’s kind of a blur of what happened.
I couldn’t tell you any of the radio traffic or what we were
talking about. We knew there was someone in there and
we had to get them out,” said Trooper Grigg. “It’s what we
were trained to do, it’s what we volunteered to do when we
became police officers,” said Trooper Sholtz.
Everyone else made it out of the home safely. Lewis says
words cannot express how grateful he is to Troopers Grigg
and Sholtz for risking their own lives to save his son’s. ■
A 6-year-old was rescued from a house fire Monday
(January 4, 2016) by Michigan State Police troopers.
(Photo Credit: Michigan State Police)
A state police trooper at the Mich
igan State Police Tri-City Post in
Williams Township has been named
Trooper of the Year.
MSP Director Col. Kriste Kibbey
Etue and Michigan Attorney General
Bill Schuette presented the Dr. Carl
A. Gerstacker Trooper of the Year
Award to Trooper Michael Darrow
at a special ceremony in Lansing on
Thursday, January 21, 2016.
The Gerstacker Award recogn izes
a trooper or sergeant who symbolizes
outstanding professional ethics, dedi
cation to duty and a concern for giv
ing back to their community. The late
Carl A. Gerstacker, former chairman
of Dow Chemical Company, created
the award in 1961.
Schuette is Gerstacker’s stepson.
“Trooper Darrow’s exceptional
work performance, leadership skills
and dedication to community out
reach make him an excellent choice
for the Trooper of the Year Award,”
Etue said in a press release.
Darrow has been with the agency
for 15 years. He serves as a commu
nity service trooper at the Tri-City
Post, 2402 Salzburg Road, where
he has taken on multiple leadership
roles in work and community-related
Trooper Michael Darrow
programs, and is known for his dedi
cation to service.
Darrow is instrumental in several
MSP community outreach initiatives,
such as Light Up the City and the
Community Action United Team In
Our Neighborhood program, known
as CAUTION.
Darrow also serves as a team leader
for the Michigan Special Olympics
Torch Run and oversees the new
cadet program being established for
the MSP Third District covering the
Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City areas.
Darrow serves as an instructor
for the Student Tools for Emergency
Plann ing (STEP) program, the MSP
Teaching, Educating and Mentoring
(TEAM) curriculum and for the
youth leadership academies for atrisk youth held at the MSP Training
Academy in Lansing. He has also
assisted a local law enforcement
agency with organizing its leadership
academy and served as an instructor
and mentor for the program.
Darrow is a horse leader for the
Bay County 4-H Horsemanship for
Handicappers, a nonprofit organi
zat ion that provides therapeutic
and recreational horseback riding to
children and adults with physical,
emot ional, mental and social chal
lenges. He and his family own all of
the horses used in the program.
In addition, Darrow helped a local
recording artist Kyrsta Strickland
organ ize a 5-on-5 basketball tourna
ment between youth and law enforce
ment officers to help strengthen the
relationship between the community
and law enforcement. As a result of
the event’s success, the sponsor agreed
to hold the tournament annually.
Darrow served in the U.S. Army
from 1986 to 1991 and he attended
Central Texas University. He hails
from Mackinaw City and currently
resides in Bay City with his wife. ■
In Memory of Our Retirees
Lt. Duane Thayer (Ret.)..........................................28th Recruit School............ 5/8/1926 – 12/28/2015
D/Sgt. Duane F. Baley (Ret.)............................... 42nd Recruit School.............. 5/20/1930 – 1/5/2016
Tpr. Ralph A. Graham, Jr. (Ret.)......................... 73rd Recruit School............ 7/26/1943 – 1/10/2016
D/Sgt. Larry W. Beals (Ret.)................................ 72nd Recruit School..........10/31/1943 – 1/14/2016
Lt. Francis “Frank” C. Heckaman (Ret.)..........40th Recruit School..........11/30/1930 – 1/18/2016
Sgt. Edward A. Heribacka (Ret.)......................... 42nd Recruit School............ 1/30/1931 – 1/28/2016
D/Sgt. Ralph E. Kartheu (Ret.)...........................41st Recruit School............. 3/19/1931 – 1/29/2016
D/Sgt. Arthur W. Neigebauer (Ret.)...................29th Recruit School............ 5/14/1924 – 2/17/2016
Former Tpr. Norman G. Rushing (Ret.)........... 62nd Recruit School............ 4/13/1937 – 2/26/2016
Sgt. William C. Burk (Ret.)....................................60th Recruit School.............. 9/4/1940 – 2/29/2016
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 33
Contribute to the
Michigan
Trooper
Magazine!
Register of Deeds
Submitting material
for publication in the
Michigan Trooper magazine?
Send all files to:
troopereditor@
gmail.com
Please provide captions
for images when possible,
including name(s) of those
pictured, and name/details
of the event.
Inspector Emmitt McGowan (right) is welcomed to his new position as the Department’s advocate in arbitration
cases by two veterans of the process. MSPTA lawyer, Larry Schneider (left), has represented the MSPTA since
the very first arbitration hearing was held in 1981. Samuel McCargo (center) is the longest serving arbitrator
on the MSPTA-MSP panel, having rendered decisions in every decade since joining the panel in 1985.
Raff le Tickets On Sale Now!
MSTAF’s first gun raffle is underway! This 60th Anniversary 1911 Colt .45 caliber
pistol was generously donated to the MSPTA by Steve Progler (Capt. Steve) out of
Standish, Michigan. Steve is one of the top five Colt dealers in the country and recently
came across the pistol. The pistol has been in the MSP family since 1977 and we plan
to keep it that way. Tickets are only available for purchase to active and retired
enlisted members of the MSP. Additionally, only 500 tickets are available for sale.
Ownership history was published in the Fall 2015 issue of the Michigan Trooper
magazine (page 3) and will be provided to the winner.
Ticket sales for the Colt 1911 pistol began at the January Quarterly and will be
available at district meetings, the April, and July quarterlies, and at the MSPTA office.
Addit ionally, you can view the pistol and purchase tickets at Scorin-rite Firearms Sales
and Instruction (scorin-rite.com), 1163 N. Bradley Road, Charlotte, Michigan.
Stop by the MSPTA office during business hours, or mail your check (MSPTA, 1715
Abbey Road, Suite B, East Lansing, MI 48823) and we will complete your ticket(s) and
mail your stub to you. Good Luck! ■
60th Anniversary 1911 Colt .45 Caliber Pistol
Tickets available to MSP active and retired enlisted only.
Tickets $20 • Limited drawing – only 500 tickets available.
Drawing: July 12, 2016 (Need not be present to win.)
Deadline is May 1st
for the
Spring 2016 issue.
Trooper William Smith (Tri-City Post),
and his wife, Joni,
announce the birth
of their son,
Liam Peter Smith.
Liam was born on
November 21, 2015,
was 20" long and
weighed 7 lbs., 11 oz.
Liam joins his big sister,
Kaitlyn, at home.
~~~~~~~~~
THIS IS YOUR
MAGAZINE!
Do you like to write?
Do you have a f lair for
journalism?
If you are interested
in being on the
Publications Committee,
contact the editor,
Sgt. John Faccio,
[email protected]
or Pat Strzalkowski at the
MSPTA office,
[email protected]
Trooper Korey
Rowe (Second
District Fugitive
Team), and his
wife, Samantha,
announce the
birth of their
second daughter,
Sadie Leigh Rowe.
Sadie was born
on December 20,
2015, was 20-1/2"
long and weighed
8 lbs. Sadie joins
her big sister,
Sophia, at home.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 35
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at ...
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Email __________________________________________________
Mailing Address:
The Michigan State Troopers Assistance Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization
governed
and operated
by volunteers from the Michigan State Police Troopers Association, Inc.
36 ▪ Michigan
Trooper ▪
The Michigan State Troopers Assistance Fund
tax identification number is 38-3113607.
(Please Print)
Members of the MSTAF Board
serve without compensation,
and 100% of proceeds are
devoted to programs administered by the Assistance Fund.
Name ________________________________________
Cut-off date: 5/1/2016
This authorization is to remain in full force and effect until COMPANY has received a signed, written notification by
mail or electronic facsimile from me (or my estate) of its termination in such time and in such manner as to afford
COMPANY and DEPOSITORY a reasonable opportunity to act on it.
(Mention MISTATETROOP)
Savings Account (Select One)
The Michigan State Troopers
Assistance Fund (MSTAF
was founded in 1993 as an
IRS approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
MSTAF provides assistance
for families affected by law
enforcement tragedies and
supports other 501(c)(3)
charities and charitable causes
throughout Michigan.
Checking Account
989-817-4801
or 877-2EAGLE2
Account Number ____________________________
(includes waterpark entrance)
Routing Number ___________________________
Soaring Eagle
Waterpark & Hotel
State ___________________ Zip ______________
available for
Sunday, 5/22 and
Monday, 5/23:
City _____________________________________
Lodging Options
Branch____________________________________
(based on double occupancy)
Depository Name __________________________
Special day before/
day after golf rates:
Sunday $65 (regularly $98)
between 1:00 and 2:50.
$55 after 3:00 (regularly $65).
Tuesday $68 (regularly $88).
Contact Buck’s Run
(989) 773-6830 to
schedule your tee time.
I hereby authorize the Michigan State Police Troopers Association, Inc., hereinafter called COMPANY to initiate debit
entries to my account indicated below at the depository financial institution named below, hereafter called
DEPOSITORY, and to debit the same to such account. I acknowledge that the origination of ACH transactions to my
account must comply with the provisions of U.S. law.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 37
•
•
•
•
Schedule of Events
9:00 a.m. Registration
10:00 a.m. Shotgun Start
Dinner, Prizes and Raff le following Golf
Prizes awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams!
Longest Drive (men & women)
Closest to the Pin (men & women)
Skins (optional)
Don’t miss out ... register today!
Note: In the event of inclement weather,
Buck’s Run acting Golf Pro will refund
greens fees in the form of rain checks only.
No cash or other refunds will be issued.
Includes: Golf • Cart • Gift Bags
Prizes • Dinner
Deadlines:
Team and individual registrations will
be accepted until the outing is full!
Tee Sponsorships & Prize Donations
must be received by May 10, 2016
MSP PROJECT ’57
SPONSORSHIP FORM
(Donations can be made on-line at: www.mspta.net)
The Michigan Department of State Police will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017 (1917- 2017).
Retired and active members are in the process of refurbishing a 1957 Ford Custom 300 as a MSP patrol
vehicle replica. A trailer will also be purchased to transport the vehicle to special events. Sponsorship
donations offer many opportunities for businesses and private individuals to be a part of the MSP 100th
Anniversary celebration.
o Golf Registration
@ q $20
Please register entire team on the same form,
listing Player #1 as captain. If you do not have
a full team, we are happy to place you on a team.
q Include Banquet $90 q Golf Only $65
# Adults
@ q $35 # Children
@ q $20
$90/Golfer • $360/Foursome
# Adults
@ q $35 # Children
@ q $20
Payment may be made in advance or at the door.
# Adults
@ q $35 # Children
@ q $20
Non-golfing guests are invited to attend the
banquet at a cost of $35.00/Adult | $20/Child
# Adults
@ q $35 # Children
If you are unable to attend the banquet, please
join the outing at the “golf only” price of $65.00
Name
Guest(s)
City / Zip
Address
Email
Name
Guest(s)
City / Zip
Address
Email
Name
Guest(s)
Address
City / Zip
Email
Name
Guest(s)
Address
City / Zip
Email
Platinum Sponsor Level Donation / $1000
• Includes business/person name displayed on trailer and
show board, vehicle parked in front of business (5 days),
framed picture of vehicle, letter of thanks from 100th
Anniversary Committee.
Gold Sponsor Level Donation / $500
show board, vehicle parked in front of business (3 days),
Silver Sponsor Level Donation / $250
show board, vehicle parked in front of business (1 day),
o Tee Sponsorship – $100
Name:
Company Name:
Email:
Address:
City / State / Zip:
Phone / Fax:
Name as you would like it to appear on your tee sign:
MSPTA Rep.:
o Prize/Donation Description
q Prize q Gift Bag Item q Cash Donation q Other
Value:
MSPTA Rep.:
is enclosed.
o Sorry, I/we are unable to attend,
however, a contribution of $
Make checks payable to: MSTAF
and mail to: MSTAF c/o MSPTA
1715 Abbey Road, Suite B
Thank you for supporting MSTAF!
100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Bronze Sponsor Level Donation / $125
show board, letter of thanks from 100th Anniversary
Committee.
Private Collection Level Donation / $25
• Includes name listed on show board, letter of thanks
from 100th Anniversary Committee.
In-Kind Donation
• Depends on the amount/value of contribution, includes
name listed on show board, letter of thanks from 100th
All donations to Project ’57 will be
used specifically for this project
and donations are tax deductible.
Please print your business information below.
Business/Individual Name:
Contact Name:
Address:
City / State / Zip:
Phone:
Email:
Make checks payable to: MSTAF/ PROJECT ’57
Mail form with payment to: MSTAF/ PROJECT ’57, 1715 Abbey Road, Suite B, East Lansing, MI 48823
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 39
In Memoriam ...
By: Tpr. Derek Hoffmann | 116th Recruit School | Flint Post
Senior Trooper Steven Vincent
Louisiana State Patrol • EOW August 24, 2015
On August 29, 2015, Tpr. Thomas
Pinkerton and I had the privilege
of representing the Michigan State
Police at the funeral of Senior Trooper
Steven Vincent. Trooper Vincent was
assisting a motorist who was in the
ditch. Unknown to Trooper Vincent
was that the suspect he was helping
had already killed another person
earlier. Thinking of the suspect’s
safety, Tpr. Vincent told him to stay
in the truck due to the steep angle of
the ditch. Tpr. Vincent began walking
back to his patrol unit when the door
of the suspect’s vehicle opened. As
Tpr. Vincent heard the door open he
began to turn back around to caution
the suspect again. In a true coward’s
fashion the suspect surprised Tpr.
Vincent with a shotgun blast that
struck Tpr. Vincent in the head. As
Tpr. Vincent lay on the ground the
suspect exited and stood over him.
He asked if Tpr. Vincent if he was
still alive. As Tpr. Vincent laid on the
ground, still breathing, the suspect
told him, “You’re lucky, You’re lucky
– you’re going to die soon.” Three
good citizens stopped to help Tpr.
Vincent, apprehended the suspect
and handcuffed him with Tpr. Vin
cent’s handcuffs.
Being a Trooper at another State
Trooper’s funeral is a humbling ex
perience. All of the State Troopers
from other states surrounded Tpr.
Vincent’s family and his fellow
LSP family as Colonel Michael
Edmonson spoke at the church.
Colonel Edmonson stated, “Steven
always wanted to visit all fifty states,
we’ve brought them to you.” Among
those attending was Governor Bobby
Jindal and other dignitaries. The
Photographer, April Reeves, was contacted by Mrs. Katherine Vincent a few months after her husband, Senior Trooper Steven Vincent was
killed in the line of duty as she had followed her work for some time. Mrs. Vincent wanted some images done with her nine year old son, Ethan,
and his father’s things. Ms. Reeves was not a friend of the family, but knew about the tragedy because as she described, “It hit the entire state so
hard.” Ms. Reeves went on to express, “It was such an unbelievable incident and my heart broke for this family that I did not know. I knew that
I had to do something special for them.” Several photographs were taken of Ethan but neither he nor his mother knew how the final photographs
were going to turn out. This extremely talented photographer was able to tell Ethan’s story of loss. She wanted people to understand that there
is a life behind the badge and feel some of his broken heart when they saw the images. In the time she spent photographing Ethan it was clear
to her he had a strong bond with his father and stated “Ethan’s face lit up every time he put that hat on.” Ms. Reeves described the experience
of taking these photographs that the Vincent family can now treasure for years to come as “amazing, although it was an emotional one too.” ■
Colonel’s comments were sincere and
succinct. The community support
in Lake Charles and the entire
community was overwhelming. Some
families held signs that read “Police
lives matter.”
Tpr. Vincent is survived by his wife,
Katherine Tilley Vincent, son Ethan
James Vincent, as well as his extended
family. His brother Terrel is a Trooper
with the LSP and his other brother
is Chief of Police in Iowa, Louisiana,
where Tpr. Vincent graduated high
school. He was a 13-year veteran of
the LSP and had received 13 awards
and commendations during this time.
Before joining the LSP Tpr. Vincent
was an officer with Lake Charles
Police. He also served in the U.S.
Army during operation Desert Shield
and Desert Storm. ■
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 41
By: Tpr. Christopher Tuckey | 3rd District Representative
115th Recruit School | Lapeer Post
In Memoriam ...
Trooper Sean E. Cullen
New Jersey State Police • EOW March 8, 2016
On March 8, 2016 New Jersey
Trooper Sean Cullen was killed in the
line of duty. Tpr. Cullen responded
to a vehicle fire with
injuries that occurred
near milepost 23 on
the southbound lanes
of I-295 in Deptford
Township. He was out
side of his cruiser and
walking near the scene
of the fire when he
was struck by a passing
vehicle. Trooper Cullen
was transported to
Cooper
University
Hospital, in Camden,
where he died from his
injuries. The driver of
the vehicle who struck
Trooper Cullen remained at the
scene. According to several members
of the NJSP, the cause of the crash
appeared to be the driver’s distraction
by roadside activities at the scene
of the fire. Neither alcohol nor cell
phone use appeared to have played a
factor in contributing to the crash.
Trooper Cullen served with
the New Jersey State Police for 18
months and was assigned to the Bell
mawr Station. He had previously
served with the Westampton Police
Department. He is survived by his
9-month-old son, Seamus Cullen
and fiancée, Aryn McCormick. Aryn
is twenty weeks pregnant with the
couple’s second child.
Tpr. James “Mike” Bunk and
I were honored to represent the
State of Michigan, Department of
Michigan State Police and the Mich
igan State Police Troopers Associa
tion in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, at
the funeral. It was one of the most
well-attended funerals for any law
enforcement officer I have attended
in my 18 year career. In attendance
were troopers from numerous states
throughout the nation including
Ohio, Minnesota, Vermont, Maine,
Kentucky, Connecticut, New York,
Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa. There
were hundreds of other officers in
attendance from local department, as
well as various departments through
out the United States.
It was clear from the sheer number
of attendees of the funeral that Sean
was a very well liked and highly
respected Trooper with the NJSP. The
weather dampened the uniforms that
day but not the collective spirit of the
hundreds of officers in attendance.
We spoke with several members of
his department who spoke highly of
Sean and his tragically short career.
The evening before the funeral,
the State Troopers NCO Association
of New Jersey, Inc. put on an extra
ordinary reception for fellow troop
ers, friends and family of Sean. A
private room was reserved for the
hundreds of attendees at Miller’s Ale
House, just blocks from
the hotel where almost
every out of state
trooper was staying.
A private shuttle was
chartered to transport
officers from the hotel
to the reception.
No one who at
tended the reception
left hungry, thirsty or
without a smile on their
faces that night. I was
in awe of the hospitality
and respect shown to
us by every member of
the NJSP in attendance
that night. Command officers to
dispatchers were appreciative of our
attendance. Throughout the night
Mike and I were pulled to different
corners of the room to be proudly
introduced as the “Michigan guys” to
other NJSP Troopers. At times, Mike
and I felt like we were the guests of
honor. As Mike pointed out regarding
the new friendships formed that
night, “something good can come of
something sad.” ■
I encourage all enlisted members of the
MSP who haven’t attended an out of state
Trooper’s funeral as a representative from
Michigan to do so. It is a humbling way
to meet officers from different parts of
the country and to forge new friendships.
Contact Tpr. Craig MacDonald via
email ([email protected])
to be added to the list for attending
out of state Trooper funerals.
▪ Winter 2016 ▪ 43
Final Call
Trooper
Eli M. McCarson
New Jersey State Police
End of Watch: Thursday, December 17, 2015
Age: 30 Tour of Duty: 10 months
Badge Number: 7775
Cause of Death: Automobile Accident
Date of Incident: December 17, 2015
Trooper Eli McCarson was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a domestic violence call. Trooper
McCarson was responding to a domestic violence call and was traveling on Quinton-Alloway Road near Route 49. He was
driving in heavy rain when he lost control of the patrol car and struck a utility pole. Trooper McCarson was taken to The
Memorial Hospital of Salem County, where he died from his injuries. Trooper McCarson served with the New Jersey State
Police for 10 months. He graduated the 155th class of the New Jersey State Police Academy in February 2015. ■
Trooper
Sean E. Cullen
New Jersey State Police
End of Watch: Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Age: 31 Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: 7594
Cause of Death: Struck by Vehicle
Date of Incident: March 7, 2016
Trooper Sean Cullen was struck and killed by a vehicle while assisting at the scene of a vehicle fire. Trooper Cullen had
responded to a vehicle fire with injuries that occurred near milepost 23 on the southbound lanes of I-295 in Deptford
Township. He was outside of his cruiser and walking near the scene of the fire when he was struck by a passing vehicle.
Trooper Cullen was transported to Cooper University Hospital, in Camden, where he died from his injuries. The driver of
the vehicle who struck Trooper Cullen remained at the scene. Trooper Cullen served with the New Jersey State Police for
18 months and was assigned to the Bellmawr Station. He had previously served with the Westampton Police Department.
He is survived by his 9-month-old son and fiancée. ■
Officer
Nathan Taylor
California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: Sunday, March 13, 2016
Badge Number: 20154
Cause of Death: Struck by Vehicle
Officer Nathan Taylor succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when he was struck by a vehicle on I-80, near
Donnor Summit. He was directing traffic at the scene of a previous accident when a vehicle suddenly changed lanes
and accelerated past slowing traffic. The vehicle struck Officer Taylor, causing him to be thrown into the median. He
suffered two broken legs and internal injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries
the following day. Officer Taylor served with the California Highway Patrol for six years. He is survived by his wife, three
sons, parents, and two brothers. One of his brothers also serves with the California Highway Patrol. ■
First Sergeant
Joseph G. Portaro
West Virginia State Police
End of Watch: Monday, March 14, 2016
Badge Number: Not Available
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
First Sergeant Joseph Portaro suffered a medical emergency while participating in a physical fitness run near the West
Virginia State Police Academy, where he served as the Deputy Director of Training. He was transported to Thomas
Memorial Hospital where he passed away. Sergeant Portaro served with the West Virginia State Police for 17 years. He is
survived by his wife and three children. ■
Tpr. Harold E. Anderson
Sgt. Milan Pratt
Tpr. John P. Clinton
Sgt. Harvey Bolen
Tpr. William F. Martz
Tpr. Howard H. Funk
Cpl. Sam Mapes
Tpr. Delos A. Williams
Tpr. John S. Burke
Tpr. Richard F. Hammond
Tpr. Irvine F. Wurm
Tpr. John W. Cain
Tpr. Charles T. Wood
Tpr. Ralph L. Broullire
Tpr. John D. Ryan
Tpr. George R. Branny
Sgt. Perry L. Critchell
Tpr. Calvin R. Jones
Tpr. George E. Lappi
Tpr. Bert A. Pozza
Tpr. Dugald A. Pellot
Tpr. Albert W. Souden
Det. Robert R. Gonser
Tpr. Carl P. Lindberg
Tpr. Roger M. Adams
Tpr. Gary T. Rampy
Tpr. Charles B. Stark
Tpr. Steven B. DeVries
Tpr. Darryl M. Rantanen
Tpr. Larry L. Forreider
Tpr. Norman R. Killough
D/Sgt. Harry Sorenson
D/Sgt. David Hubbard
Tpr. Allan Peterson
Tpr. Craig A. Scott
Tpr. Vicki Moreau-DeVries
Tpr. Tony Thames
Tpr. Robert Mihalik
Tpr. Paul L. Hutchins
Tpr. James E. Boland
Tpr. Kermit Fitzpatrick
Tpr. James R. DeLoach
Tpr. Steven J. Niewiek
Tpr. Byron J. Erickson
Tpr. Bryon S. Egelski
Tpr. Manuel H. Fields
Tpr. Frederick A. Hardy
Tpr. Rick L. Johnson
Tpr. Kevin M. Marshall
Tpr. Jeffrey J. Werda
Tpr. Paul K. Butterfield II
Tpr. Chad H. Wolf
March 12, 1921
April 15, 1922
January 8, 1923
May 4, 1923
March 12, 1925
July 8, 1926
May 1, 1927
July 30, 1929
October 13, 1930
January 20, 1937
January 26, 1941
November 26, 1941
April 14, 1942
March 16, 1943
March 3, 1950
April 12, 1950
March 20, 1954
February 10, 1956
November 19, 1956
November 19, 1956
September 30, 1957
September 3, 1959
August 8, 1968
May 26, 1969
May 14, 1971
December 31, 1971
December 31, 1971
October 12, 1972
May 27, 1974
December 5, 1974
October 7, 1978
December 5, 1978
September 16, 1980
August 29, 1981
February 9, 1982
July 22, 1982
June 12, 1983
September 9, 1984
August 29, 1985
July 26, 1987
July 7, 1991
February 1, 1992
February 2, 1992
July 31, 1993
July 11, 1994
August 27, 1994
November 6, 1999
May 6, 2000
July 7, 2003
April 6, 2011
September 9, 2013
August 28, 2015
Non Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Lansing, MI
Permit #515
MICHIGAN TROOPER
Michigan State Police
Troopers Association
1715 Abbey Road Suite B
East Lansing MI 48823
Sine
The badge number on the cover of the Michigan Trooper honors Tpr. Chad H. Wolf.
On August 28, 2015, Tpr. Chad Wolf was killed when his motorcycle was struck
by a vehicle. Trooper Wolf was on motorcycle patrol and traveling northbound in
the right lane of Dixie Highway and crossing over southbound I-75 when a vehicle
towing an empty trailer traveling in the left lane quickly changed lanes in an attempt to
access the I-75 entrance ramp. As the vehicle changed lanes, it struck Trooper Wolf ’s
motorcycle. Trooper Wolf was dragged for several miles on I-75 before the driver
pulled over at a rest area. Trooper Wolf served with the Michigan State Police for
seven years. His Post assignments included Jackson, Flint, and Metro, most currently
a member of the MSP Second District, Special Enforcement Section, Motor Unit. He
is survived by his wife and four children. Trooper Wolf is the 52nd Michigan State
Police officer killed in the line of duty.
Pari
Next Quarterly Meeting
Saturday, April 16, 2016
(Lodging Friday & Saturday, April 15 & 16)
Greektown Casino-Hotel – Detroit, Michigan
Registration Deadline is Friday, March 25, 2016*
Call: Toll Free (877) 424-5554 and make your reservation today!
Website: www.greektowncasino.com • Group Block Code: MSPTA16
*(RSVPs will be accepted after the deadline if space is available, however, rate is not guaranteed.)

MT-Winter-2016

Transcription

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