SC Trooper Winter 2019

STATE TRANSPORT POLICE As we close out 2019, I want to take just a moment to celebrate our people and all that they do for the citizens and visitors of South Carolina. We were proud to celebrate the graduation of STP Basic 19-A and our Officer, Region, and Public Servant of the year for 2018. Our STP Basic 19-A class was comprised of seven uniformed officers and two civilian New Entrant Auditors. They have completed a rigorous training regimen comprised of more than 1,000 training hours. These men have chosen to do what others would not do, now they can do what others cannot do. Our new graduates will work beside you in our efforts of reducing crashes and saving lives through commercial motor vehicle enforcement.

We are grateful to have such dedicated professionals within our ranks. I encourage you to lead, guide, and coach them as we continue to grow stronger together. Speaking of dedicated professionals, we must now turn our attention to the STP award winners for 2018. These men exhibit what true public servants should look like. The winners of these prestigious awards don’t work in the manner they do to be recognized, they do it because they are dedicated to the mission of serving the public and saving lives. Officer First Class Dakota Barnhart from STP Region Three was selected as the STP Officer of the Year for 2018.

He was selected from an outstanding group of his peers from across the state. For the second year in a row, Region One was selected as the Region of the Year. Mr. John Westerhold, Director of the Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, previously served as the Fiscal Analyst for the State Transport Police division and was selected as the STP Public Servant of the Year for 2018. Please join me in congratulating our new graduates and award winners.

2019 has brought us all many challenges in our efforts to improve safety on our roadways, but they were all met with a fierce determination to make a positive difference. I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done, and continue to do, to reduce and eliminate fatalities on our roadways. 2020 will soon be here and once again we will be challenged to keep our roadways safe. But this time of year is for us to relax, recharge, and spend some much needed quality time with our loved ones. Please, if you don’t do anything else, take time out for you and your families to enjoy each other. Rest. Refocus. Recommit.

Thank you for all that you do, and from my family to yours, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. ~ Colonel Leroy Taylor 56 South Carolina Trooper | Winter 2019 |