Our Troopers: In the Community & On the Roads

Delaware Governor: Jack Markell

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Written on: March 1st, 2010 in Recognizing State Employees

Last week, our Delaware State Troopers did something that warmed my heart, while quite literally warming many others.

Troopers, members of the Citizens Police Academy, and other individuals have been collecting winter coats at the Troop 2 barracks in Glasgow. With a storm predicted, some of our Troopers wanted to make sure those coats got into the hands of people who need them. Here’s a video from The News Journal.

Our Troopers are out on the roads every day, including last month’s storms. I received many emails that commended the Troopers, but here are a couple of dramatic illustrations of their heroism. Of course, as with many of the stories from the storms, these are great examples of team effort across organizations, including the National Guard, DelDOT, and other important emergency personnel.

On February 10th, a senior corporal from the Truck Inforcement Unit was flagged down by a motorist, who indicated that there was a disabled vehicle a few miles away. The Trooper went in search of the stranded car, but then his own vehicle became stuck in a snowdrift. Getting out of his car to survey the scene, he saw a mother carrying a baby and walking with her seven year old son. They were struggling to get home after a trip to Nanticoke Hospital, where the infant had been treated for an extremely high temperature. The Trooper helped carry the boy through the deep snow to his vehicle where they could keep warm while waiting for help. Around 30 minutes later, a Delmarva Power truck drove by and took the family to safety. However, the Trooper remained stranded and, as the snow gradually covered his car, the engine stopped running. After a couple of hours, the National Guard arrived, rescuing the Trooper after they had assisted many other motorists.

On February 6th, the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) dispatched a team of people from DelDOT, Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Company, and Sussex County EMS Station 107 in search of a man who was lost and exhausted in his search for shelter. The teams tracked his approximate location, but could not reach him. In the meantime, one member of the EOC dispatch team coordinated with the National Guard, while another team member kept in contact with the lost man over the phone, encouraging him to keep moving and report his surroundings. A Trooper from Troop 5, who was familiar with the area, contacted his family farm to locate a tractor and made his way into the field. He didn’t get far before the tractor was stuck and he had to proceed on foot. Phone communication with the man was lost, and there were no other options left to reach him. After some time, the Trooper found him and helped get him to the road, so that he could be taken to the hospital for treatment.