The Indiana State Police held an awards ceremony Friday, April 26 at the Indiana Government Center. Superintendent Douglas Carter presented numerous awards to troopers and civilian employees from across the state. Four of those recipients are troopers from the Indianapolis District which patrols Hamilton County.
DUI Life Award
Trooper Cameron Bottema
Trooper Bottema received recognition for removing 184 impaired drivers off Indiana roadways in 2018. Bottema’s superior expertise, knowledge, ability and work ethic were vital in keeping local communities safe with this critical enforcement effort. This led Trooper Bottema being the top DUI enforcer within the Indiana State Police and exemplifies the unsurpassed professionalism and integrity expected of an Indiana State Trooper.
This is the second year in a row Bottema received this award. In the past three years he has arrested 531 impaired drivers.
Commendation Award
Trooper Larry Miers & Sergeant Corey Berfield
At 3:03 p.m. on April 1, 2017, several units responded to a serious personal injury crash on Interstate 465 northbound at the 43.6 mile marker. The crash scene involved two vehicles – one vehicle contained two people who were both unconscious.
Senior Trooper Corey Berfield arrive on scene and observed several citizens attempting to assist the two critically injured vehicle occupants. Berfield immediately went to his trunk and retrieved his issued automated external defibrillator (AED). It was determined that the female passenger was seriously injured and needed immediate CPR which required her to be removed from the vehicle.
Realizing that the passenger door was jammed shut as a result of the collision, Senior Trooper Berfield took control of the scene and had the driver carefully removed so they could retrieve the female passenger. Once outside the vehicle, Berfield placed his AED on the female and the AED advised against shock. Sergeant Berfield began chest compressions while Trooper Larry Miers began rescue breathing.
Both Sergeant Berfield and Trooper Miers continued CPR until Emergency Medical Services arrived and transported the critically injured female to Methodist Hospital. Unfortunately, due to the injuries sustained in the crash the 14-year-old female succumbed to her injuries later that evening.
The Registered Nurse present at the scene and later at Methodist Hospital remarked that in over 40 years she has rarely witnessed and/or participated in more quality and professional CPR in all her work days and countless CPR efforts.
Life Saving Award
Senior Trooper Scott Probasco
At approximately 2 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2018, Senior Trooper Scott Probasco was dispatched to a report of a person shot on Interstate 465 northbound near the 21 mile marker.
Upon arriving at the scene, Probasco located the driver of a crashed vehicle who was also suffering from a bullet wound to the leg. Probasco recognized the amount of blood and its bright red coloring as arterial bleeding and quickly acted, placing a tourniquet on the victim. Senior Trooper Probasco remained with the victim providing first aid until Emergency Medical Services arrived and was able to transport the victim to St. Vincent Hospital. Without this swift action the victim would have continued to lose blood and possibly his life.
Senior Trooper Probasco is to be commended for his extraordinary conduct in saving the life of a fellow human being.
Trooper of the Year 2018
Trooper Joseph Malone
The 2018 Indiana State Police Trooper of the Year is Trooper Joseph Malone from the Indianapolis District.
Trooper Malone’s supervisor, Sergeant Shawn O’Keefe said, “Trooper Malone is a highly motivated trooper, with a work ethic second to none. He displays a high level of competency, and is extremely dependable and self-motivated. Trooper Malone always presents a positive and professional image of himself and the Indiana State Police. He is the consummate shift partner, always willing to assist fellow troopers and other law enforcement agencies both on-duty and off-duty.”
The criteria used to select the trooper of the year goes beyond statistics, however in 2018 Trooper Malone, who works the afternoon shift, had the following:
- 215 people arrested with 851 different charges
- 35 Operating While Intoxicated arrests
- 1553 Traffic Citations issued
- 332 Warnings
- 36 Child Restraint Tickets issued
Trooper Malone is a 1995 graduate of Deptford Township High School in New Jersey. After high school Malone joined the United States Army where he served as an Infantryman and Ranger, with combat tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt, Philippines and Korea during his 20-year military career. Joseph now lives in Johnson County with his wife and two children.
So far in his two-and-a-half year career with the state police, Malone has been selected as a member of the Honor Guard, the Tactical Intervention Platoon and has recently completed crash reconstruction school. Trooper Malone is also a key participant in the Indianapolis RightFit Program sponsored by the Indianapolis Indians. This program provides after school activities for four Indianapolis schools, consisting of public safety personnel, military and other community members.
Indianapolis District Commander Jeff Payne said, “Malone’s numbers are impressive, but his presence within his community goes far beyond statistics. Not only is he a great police officer, more importantly he is a great person.”