LANSING, Mich. (WWJ) -- Dozens of Michigan State Police troopers and employees are being recognized for their service, while five have been bestowed with special honors.
MSP Director Col. Joe Gasper on Monday morning honored and celebrated approximately 50 department members who have earned promotion, achieved 35 years of service or been awarded recognition by the department’s Board of Awards, noting exceptional work during the unprecedented times of a global pandemic.
“I remain steadfastly proud of how our members continue to answer the call to serve and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the immense amount of good work being done across our department every day,” Gasper said. “Over the past year, our enforcement members and other front-line workers have shown up every day committed, prepared and ready to perform the important and critical job of keeping the public safe.”
Gasper says for every in-person worker there was a member “working just as hard in a remote capacity to support our members and the stakeholders we serve.”
MSP traditionally holds three employee recognition ceremonies a year to recognize and thank employees for exceptional service and during this most recent ceremony, five special awards were presented -- including two Meritorious Service awards and three Bravery awards.
The Citation for Meritorious Service is awarded for “service rendered in the line of duty when a member, because of diligence and perseverance, performs difficult tasks under unusual circumstances and goes beyond that which is normally expected of most members where crime is prevented, life and property is protected, or criminals are apprehended.”
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Trooper Marc Moore of the Cadillac Post received the Citation for Meritorious Award for “his unwavering determination.” Moore was investigating the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl that led to the identification of 11 additional underage survivors.
The same award was also presented to D/Sgt. Brian Russell of the First District Special Investigation Section for his leadership and coordination in the investigation into an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the Michigan government.
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The Citation for Bravery is awarded when a member “knowingly performs an act in the line of duty which endangers or exposes him or herself to serious injury and when, because of the nature of the action, a life may be saved, a serious crime prevented, or a person arrested who has committed a serious crime.”
Trooper Ryan Codde of the Special Operations Division, D/Sgt. Daniel Drewyor of the Monroe Post and MC Officer Jacob Lauer of the St. Ignace Post were all bestowed with the Citation for Bravery.
Codde was honored for his off-duty actions that helped to save the lives of a mother and her two young children when their home caught fire.
Drewyor was bestowed the Citation for Bravery for his lifesaving efforts during a traffic crash in which he removed an unconscious driver from his vehicle and brought him to safety as the vehicle became engulfed in flames.