Secretary Taylor presented the awards on Tuesday, May 18, to four ALEA Troopers within the Highway Patrol Division and one ALEA Corporal assigned to the Protective Services Division during a ceremony held at ALEA Headquarters, where both family and colleagues were in attendance. The event highlighted the remarkable stories detailed by ALEA’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director, Colonel Jimmy Helms and Protective Services Division Chief Stephen Tidwell.
ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said, “We are honored to be able to recognize these heroic and selfless individuals who, without fail, displayed the highest level of dedicated public service. Whether they are on or off duty, these individuals continuously look for opportunities to serve and answer the call. In moments of distress and dire need they went above and beyond to keep citizens safe.”
Senior Troopers Tracy Steele, Ashley Fetter, Carter Allen and Cpl. James Phillips all received the Lifesaving Award because of their quick thinking and decision-making in separate incidents that resulted in the preservation of four lives.
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Sr. Trooper Tracy Steele of the Jacksonville Highway Patrol Post was on duty when he stopped momentarily at a gas station and was approached by a woman choking and motioning for help. Trooper Steele quickly rendered aid to the citizen, successfully dislodging the food. He remained with her for a while after ensuring no further medical attention was required. The citizen later contacted Trooper Steele’s supervisor and described the incident while explaining she was diagnosed with autism which frequently causes her to suffer from anxiety attacks, and it is what ultimately led to her choking that day.
In November of 2021, Sr. Trooper Ashley Fetter was the first to arrive on scene of a two-vehicle crash in Jackson County. Upon approaching one of the vehicles involved in the crash, Sr. Trooper Fetter noticed that the driver was unresponsive and locked inside the vehicle. Sr. Trooper Fetter gained entry through the window on the passenger side and quickly recognized the signs and symptoms of a drug overdose. He then administered Narcan, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
In November of 2021, Sr. Trooper Carter Allen observed a vehicle speeding and activated his lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop. The suspect failed to yield and attempted to elude Trooper Allen. After a 10-mile pursuit, the suspect lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. Moments after the crash, smoke began to billow from underneath and inside the vehicle with large flames surrounding the front. Trooper Allen immediately shouted for the suspect to exit his vehicle, but the man was unable to because the door was jammed from the crash. Trooper Allen then ran to his own vehicle to retrieve his fire extinguisher. Without hesitation and disregard for his own personal safety, Trooper Allen did his best to extinguish the flames and struck the window with his ASP until it shattered, helping the driver escape and move away from the flames to a place of safety.
On Sunday, April 24, 2022, Cpl. James Phillips who is assigned to ALEA’s Capitol Patrol was off duty at his home when he heard Barbour County 911 dispatch a medical emergency approximately four miles from his residence. The citizen was in the process of airing up a tire on hand truck when the tire exploded and the rim flew off, slicing through the citizen’s forearm, and cutting his tendons, nerves and arteries. Knowing that the responding ambulance was 45 minutes away in Eufauala, Cpl. Phillips responded to the scene in his personal vehicle and observed a citizen who had lost a great amount of blood and was beginning to lose consciousness. Cpl. Phillips applied a tourniquet and held pressure on the wound with combat gauze until a Barbour County Deputy arrived. Together, they loaded the citizen into the deputy’s vehicle and Cpl. Phillips continued to apply pressure until they met the paramedics in Clio. The citizen’s sister, who is a dispatcher with Houston County, is convinced her brother would not be alive today if it were not for the quick thinking and assistance of an off-duty ALEA Trooper.
In addition to the Lifesaving Awards, ALEA Trooper Logan Kenimer received a Certificate of Recognition for his diligence to patrol and devotion to public safety. In June of 2021, ALEA Dispatch received a B.O.L.O for a vehicle traveling through Decatur occupied by a suspect with warrants for Enticing a Child. The B.O.L.O also stated that a 7-year-old juvenile was occupying the same vehicle. Thanks to the assistance of ALEA Dispatch, Trooper Kenimer was able to quickly locate the vehicle and apprehend the suspect, while simultaneously contacting the appropriate officials through the Department of Human Resources to safely return the child back to her mother.