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KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. addressed the attendees and praised their efforts to save lives in their communities.
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Kentucky Law Enforcement and Child Passenger Safety Experts Recognized for Excellence in Seat Belt and Child Restraint Enforcement

Ceremony salutes efforts to save lives on Kentucky roadways

FRANKFORT, KY   On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, state officials recognized more than 100 state and local law enforcement officers, along with child passenger safety personnel, for their outstanding efforts to safeguard drivers and passengers on Kentucky highways.

Governor Andy Beshear 185The annual Governor’s Occupant Protection Enforcement Awards, held at the Campbell House in Lexington, highlighted the efforts of Kentuckians representing 130 different agencies.

“Both our law enforcement professionals and child passenger safety experts play a crucial role in protecting our families, by making sure everyone is properly secured with seat belts and that children are in the appropriate car seats and boosters,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “Their vital work is saving lives, and as Governor and a dad, I am grateful for their unwavering dedication to our state and its residents.”

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) presented the awards to those with the most occupant protection citations in each agency and in each division from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Award recipients received a plaque, while the top division winners were presented with the Highway Safety All-Star Award – a commemorative baseball bat from Louisville Slugger. There are six divisions, broken down by number of officers within the agency, and a division for Kentucky State Police:

  • Division I                     1-10 officers
  • Division II                    11-25 officers
  • Division III                      26-50 officers
  • Division IV                   51-100 officers
  • Division V                    100+ officers
  • Division VI                   Kentucky State Police

In addition to honoring law enforcement, KOHS also presented awards for Technician, Instructor and CPS Team of the Year.

Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. addressed the attendees and praised their efforts to save lives in their communities.

Phillip Burnett Jr KSP addressed attendees 700

Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. addressing the attendees

“Enforcing the law isn’t about raising the number of citations; it’s about encouraging safe driving behaviors,” Commissioner Burnett said. “Our aim is to see fewer citations, not more, because that means lives are being saved. At the end of the day, it’s about every driver on Kentucky roadways making it home safe to their families.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts, when worn correctly, are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat occupants by 45% and by 60% in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans. Also, according to NHTSA, properly installed child restraints reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers in passenger cars. In light trucks, SUVs and minivans, properly deployed child restraints reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 58% for infants and 59% for toddlers.

Each year more than half of those killed on Kentucky’s roadways are not properly restrained in a seat belt, car seat or booster seat. Kentucky’s current seat belt usage rate is 86.9%.
 

Child Passenger Safety Awards

Technician of the Year Awards

 

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Jenny Pile

Breckinridge County Health Department

Instructor of the Year

 

Joshua Hinkle

Prestonsburg Police Department

Team of the Year

 

Nicholasville Fire Department

 
   
   

Law Enforcement Safety Awards

Division 1

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Capt. Mitchell Alford

Harlan Police Department

Chief Aaron C. Ashby

Adairville Police Department

Deputy Sheriff David Carroll

Lyon County Sheriff’s Office

Patrolman Brian Coleman

Calvert City Police Department

Chief Deputy Jamie Ferrie

LaRue County Sheriff’s Office

Officer Phillip D Frazier

Stanton Police Department

Master Police Officer Doug Gay

Richmond Police Department

Deputy William Hendrix

Bourbon County Sheriff

Police Officer Wesley Hicks

Cave City Police Department

Chief Brandon Hollingsworth

Pineville Police Department

Chief Deputy Brian Locknane

Pendleton County Sheriff's Office

Officer Tyler Mitcham

Brandenburg Police Department

Patrolman Teddy B. Newsome

Louisa Police Department

Deputy James W. Parsons

Garrard County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Jacob Patton

Scott County Sheriff’s Office

Officer Jacob Tyler Purvis

Owingsville Police Department

Officer Andrew Regan

Greensburg Police Department

Chief James Richardson

Hodgenville Police Department

Officer Billy Roberts

Taylor Mill Police Department

Patrolman Michael Scott Robinson

Jackson City Police Department

Patrol Officer John Root

Manchester Police Department

Deputy Dustin D. Saylor

Rockcastle County Sheriff’s Office

Chief of Police Ben Smith

Millersburg Police Department

Patrol Officer Chadwick Spence

Raceland Police Department

Deputy Kenneth Vincent

Trigg County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Sheriff Lance Watson

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office

Officer H. Seth Whitaker

Whitesburg Police Department

Officer Ryan Wielgus

Wilder Police Department

Deputy Thomas Wilson

Menifee County Sheriff Office

   

Division 2

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Officer Bradley Aubin

Mt. Washington Police Department

Officer Charles Boeschenstein

Southgate Police Department

Officer John Brooks

LaGrange Police Department

Patrol Officer Eugene Cain

Leitchfield Police Department

Officer David Clark

Scottsville Police Department

Sgt. Garret Clark

Graves County Sheriff's Office

Patrolman Patrick Coleman

Pikeville Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Cory Cornett

Clark County Sheriff's Office

Officer Jon Cottle

Morehead Police Department

Lt. Barry Cowan

Middlesboro Police Department

Patrolman Tyler Creech

The City of Edgewood Police Department

Officer Michael Dennis

Hillview Police Department

Sgt. Justin Dockery

Central City Police Department

Deputy Nicholas Dues

Calloway County Sheriff's Office

Patrolman Adam Fauver

Greenville Police Department

Deputy John Ferguson

Mason County Sheriff’s Office

Patrol Officer James Fetty

Simpsonville Police Department

Officer Chad Foley

Williamsburg Police Department

Detective Jess Hamblin

Fort Mitchell Police Department

Deputy Wyatt Harper

Simpson County Sheriff's Office

Detective Dalton Hayes

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office

Sgt. Johnny Holbert

Mount Sterling Police Department

Patrolman Timothy Jackson

Grayson Police Department

Patrol Officer Andrew Jefferson

Maysville Police Department

Patrol Officer Zachary Johnson

Campbellsville Police Department

Patrolman Christopher Kohut

Flatwoods Police Department

Patrolman Joseph Krull

Cold Spring Police Department

Patrolman Geoff Lucas

Fort Thomas Police Department

Deputy Ron Luster

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office

Sgt. Michael Lyon

Bellevue Police Department

Officer Kirk Mays

Lancaster Police Department

Deputy Mike Meece

Oldham County Sheriff

Patrolman Jonathan Milburn

Stanford Police Department

Sgt. Nathan Nogueras

Alexandria Police Department

Patrolman Charles Patterson

Barbourville Police Department

Deputy Noah Ritchie

Laurel County Sheriff’s Office

Patrolman Oscar Sanchez

Elsmere Police Department

Patrol Officer Dakota Sexton

City of Lawrenceburg Police Department

Patrolman Christopher Steward

Lakeside Park-Crestview Hills Police Department

Patrolman Keegan Williams

Prestonsburg Police Department

   

Division 3

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Deputy Sheriff Chris Beavers

Marshall County Sheriff’s Office

Officer Thomas Britton

Kenton County Police

Officer Samuel Broomall

Campbell County Police Department

Patrol Officer Jeffery Childress

Glasgow Police Department

Patrolman Wesley Craycraft

Winchester Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Scot Daniels

Madison County Sheriff’s Office

Officer Samuel “Taylor” Davidson

Paris Police Department

Detective Joshua Doerr

Bardstown Police Department

Deputy Daniel B. Embry

Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office

Cpl. Jacob Gould

Daviess County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Jerry Hardin

Nelson County Sheriff’s Office

Trooper Josh Jones

Kentucky State Police Post 10

Officer Nicholas Kerney

Harlan Radcliff Police Department

Officer Cody King

Somerset Police Department

Officer Andrew Lawson

London Police Department

Deputy Brandon Purnell

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

Sgt. Brandon Record

Danville Police Department

Sgt. Matt Reed

Winchester Police Department

Officer Jose Roman Jr.

Mayfield Police Department

Patrol Officer Matthew Semler

Erlanger Police

Sgt. Mark Wheeler

Boyd County Sheriff

Patrol Officer Danny Williams

Murray Police Department

Officer David Williams

Oldham County Police Dept

Deputy Sheriff Quintin Wright

Logan County Sheriff’s Office

Sgt. Jeremy Younger

Shelbyville Police Department

   

Division 4

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Patrol Deputy Louis Armstrong

Christian County Sheriff's Office

Officer William Conn

University of Kentucky Police Department

Officer James Frint

Ashland Police Department

Officer Aaron Gutermuth

Jeffersontown Police Department

Officer Michael Martinez

Hopkinsville Police Department

Deputy Kenneth W. Mayfield

Warren County Sheriff’s Office

Officer Thomas Minter

Elizabethtown Police Department

Patrol Officer Daniel Pennaman

Henderson Police Department

Patrol Officer Anthony Pinkston

Florence Police Department

Officer Dustin Scott

Madisonville Police Department

Officer Keith Thuline

Paducah Police Department

Officer Jerry Wise

Frankfort Police Department

   

Division 5

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Sgt. David Flannery

Lexington Police Department

Deputy Teddy Melton

Boone County Sheriff’s Office

Patrolman Michael Roby

Owensboro Police Department

Specialist Doug Ullrich

Covington Police Department

Detective Raymond Wonka

Louisville Metro Police Department

   

Division 6

Name of Nominee

Agency Name

Trooper “R” Toney Allen

Kentucky State Police - Post 7

Trooper Mike Armstrong

Kentucky State Police - Post 8

Sgt. Joseph R. Bartolotti

Kentucky State Police - Post 2

Senior Trooper Ricky Cross

Kentucky State Police - Post 15

Master Trooper Eric Hines

Kentucky State Police - Post 4

Trooper Chris Johnson

Kentucky State Police - Post 6

Inspector II Justin Kilgore

Kentucky State Police CVE East

Trooper Colt McGuire

Kentucky State Police - Post 5

Trooper Samuel Mizner

Kentucky State Police - Post 16

Trooper Ricky Newsom

Kentucky State Police - Post 9

Senior Trooper Derral Redwine

Kentucky State Police - Post 1

Master Trooper Graham Rutherford

Kentucky State Police - Post 3

Trooper Jordan Sammons

Kentucky State Police - Post 14

Trooper Justin Vanhook

Kentucky State Police - Post 11

Senior Trooper Branden Watts

Kentucky State Police - Post 13

Trooper William Watts

Kentucky State Police - Post 12

   

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