Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue announced that Michigan citizens will soon benefit from the services of 90 new MSP troopers following the graduation of the 124^th Trooper Recruit School. Governor Rick Snyder served as the keynote speaker at the March 29 ceremony.

“The graduates of the 124th Michigan State Police Trooper Recruit School will play a critical role in public safety for our state, helping make communities and neighborhoods safer for our families and our economic vitality,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. “These new troopers should all be proud of their accomplishments in proving they have what it takes to enter this elite force. On behalf of Michiganders, thank you for your commitment, dedication and professionalism in service to our great state. We owe you a debt of gratitude, and wish you all long, safe, and rewarding careers.”

Funding made available as part of Governor Snyder’s public safety plan allowed for the hiring of 180 troopers in FY13, which includes this graduating class and the 78 troopers who graduated from the 123rd Trooper Recruit School in October 2012. These additional troopers will help support law enforcement efforts in the state’s most violent cities of Flint, Detroit, Pontiac and Saginaw, as well as underserved communities throughout the state.

“To accept the honor of becoming a trooper is to also embrace and recognize the department’s proud traditions and high standards of service through excellence, integrity and courtesy,” said Etue, during her address to the recruits. “You have a mission to serve and protect because policing is a duty of the highest honor—with the highest responsibilities, the highest visibility and some of the greatest challenges. The department demands and the public deserves nothing less than your best every day.”

“With this graduation, not only do these recruits become troopers, they and their families are now members of our Michigan State Police family and part of a 96-year proud tradition,” added Etue.

Tpr. Christopher Phillips, who was elected Class Orator by his fellow recruits, spoke on behalf of the graduating class before receiving the Team Building Award. Other award winners included Tpr. Gideon Paetz, who received the Marksmanship Award; Tpr. Scott Josephs who received the Academic Achievement Award; and Tpr. Brian Russell who received the Outstanding Performance Award.

The 124th Trooper Recruit School began on October 28, 2012, when 114 prospective troopers reported to the MSP Training Academy. For the past 22 weeks, recruits received training in firearms, water safety, defensive tactics, patrol techniques, report writing, ethics, first aid, criminal law, crime scene processing and precision driving. Graduating recruits were assigned to MSP work sites across the state and will report to their respective posts for duty next week.

Of the 90 graduating recruits, 78 have continued their education with college studies, 16 have served in the United States Military and 12 have prior law enforcement experience.

The department solicited over 2,000 potential candidates for the 124th Trooper Recruit School. Sgt. Kevin Rod was the Recruit School Commander. Special emphasis was given to recruiting military veterans and certified police officers without employment. In order to be selected to attend the academy, all applicants had to pass a stringent selection process that included a physical fitness test, background investigation and hiring interview.

The 125th Trooper Recruit School is set to begin May 12, 2013, and an additional trooper recruit school is anticipated in early 2014. Interested candidates should visit www.michigan.gov/mspjobs for more information on how to apply.

As of March 2, 2013, there were 886 at-post troopers stationed at 29 posts across Michigan.

Assigned to the MSP Post in Rockford is Tpr. Jacob Cox, of Dowagiac; Tpr. Timothy Dixon, of Kalkaska; and Tpr. Jessica Hemingway, of Hillsdale. Assigned to the Lakeview Post is Tpr. Jennifer Nowicki, of Byron Center; Tpr. Kyle Rademacher, of Eagle; and Tpr. Daniel Richter, of St. Clair. Assigned to the Hart Post is Tpr. Alexander Hammerle, of Mt. Pleasant; Tpr. Aaron Tubergen, of Holland; and Tpr. Barry Wolf, of Howard City.

Fewer people died in Michigan traffic crashes last year, driven partially by significant declines in motorcyclist fatalities, commercial motor vehicle-involved fatalities and alcohol and drug involvement in fatal crashes. Traffic deaths dropped 5 percent, from 937 in 2010 to 889 in 2011.

Statewide crash information is collected by the Michigan State Police (MSP) Criminal Justice Information Center.

Changes from 2010 to 2011 included a 1 percent increase in total crashes, up from 282,075 in 2010 to 284,049 in 2011; and a 2 percent increase in crash-related injuries, up from 70,501 in 2010 to 71,796 in 2011.

Crash data also showed a 3 percent drop in alcohol-involved fatalities, down from 283 in 2010 to 274 in 2011. Drug involvement in fatalities fell 17 percent, from 153 in 2010 to 127 in 2011.

“It is extremely good news that traffic deaths are down in 2011,” said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, MSP director. “Further study will take place to see if we can determine what may have caused the fairly large changes in the areas of motorcycles, commercial motor vehicles and drug involvement in fatal crashes.”

In other areas:

Cell phone-involved crashes decreased from 881 in 2010 to 821 in 2011. Cell phone-involved fatal crashes increased from four in 2010 to six in 2011.  (Michigan cannot track crashes involving texting specifically.)

Commercial motor vehicle-involved fatalities fell 23 percent, from 95 in 2010 to 73 in 2011.

Motorcyclist fatalities dropped 13 percent, from 125 in 2010 to 109 in 2011.

Bicyclist fatalities were down 17 percent, from 29 in 2010 to 24 in 2011.

Pedestrian fatalities increased 6 percent, from 131 in 2010 to 140 in 2011.

The number of car-deer crashes declined 4 percent, from 55,867 in 2010 to 53,592 in 2011.

Shannon Siders

A task force led by investigators from the Michigan State Police that includes the Newaygo County Sheriff Department, Newaygo City Police and Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springstead, is focusing on the 1989 homicide of Newaygo resident Shannon Marie Siders.
Shannon, 18, was last seen on July 18, 1989. Her body was found on October 15, 1989 in a wooded area near M-82 and Thornapple Road in Brooks Township, Newaygo County. It was an area of the forest known as “the pit,” where young people hosted parties. An autopsy determined the manner of death to be homicide.
For the past 22 years, area detectives have continued to investigate the case, following up on hundreds of tips. The task force was assembled in September 2011, and has reviewed the nearly 2,000 page report and associated tips, and examined evidence collected by the original investigators. Task force members are confident that advances in forensic science and information technology will generate new leads and aid investigators in solving the case.
Detectives ask anyone with information on the death of Shannon Siders to contact D/Sgt. Scott Rios of the Michigan State Police Hart Post-Newaygo Detachment at (855) 830-6843 ext. 222 or email rioss@michigan.gov.

Sgt. Joseph Roney

At a special ceremony held in Lansing last week, Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue presented Sgt. Joseph Roney, a member of the Bomb Squad, with the MSP Meritorious Award for placing his life in danger to protect others.
In April, after returning from a call, Sergeant Roney saw smoke and flames coming from his vehicle, caused by an electrical failure, as he parked it in the garage.
As a result of the earlier call, the truck was now transporting high explosives. Recognizing this danger, Sergeant Roney backed the burning truck outside of the garage. After several unsuccessful attempts to extinguish the fire, he contacted the local fire department. Before firefighters arrived, he made several trips into the burning and smoke-filled truck to remove the explosives it held.
In awarding Sergeant Roney with the MSP Meritorious Award, the department recognizes that because of his quick actions and decision to enter the burning vehicle transporting the explosives, he was able to protect not only the property, but also the lives of the nearby employees.
Sergeant Roney enlisted with the department in 1994, graduating as a member of the 110th Trooper Recruit School. He served at the Ionia Post before being assigned to the Bomb Squad.

A three-year-old Montcalm County girl was missing for three hours Monday before being found by police.

According to Howard City Police Chief Steven DeWitt, the Howard City Police Department was dispatched to an area in the 11,000 block of North Federal Hwy, in Reynolds Township on Monday, March 21, on a report of a 3-year-old missing girl, in a heavily wooded area. The child had wandered away from a guardian while going for a walk in the woods near the residence, and had been missing for about an hour.

A telephone alert system was used to automatically notify persons in the surrounding area of the missing child, and an Amber alert was issued to alert the general public.

The Michigan State Police, Montcalm County Sheriff Department and the Mecosta Co. Sheriff Department assisted Howard City Police. Over a dozen police officers were at the scene assisting in the search.

At one point, helicopters from the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard were requested for assistance, as well as K-9 “Rock” tracking unit from the Michigan State Police Ionia Post, and tracking dogs from the Mid Michigan Working dogs volunteer organization.

The child was located by utilizing a K9 unit and searchers calling out her name. The child responded and was found behind a distant tree.

She was found about one mile from the residence, after wandering through a heavily wooded, swampy area. The child appeared to have crossed a stream at one point and was found soaking wet.

The victim was transported to a local hospital to be treated for exposure by  Montcalm County Ambulance. The victim appeared otherwise ok and told searchers that she “was lost” and “looking for home.”

The case remains open pending investigation.

A vehicle that was stolen in Grant Township Sunday was found in Solon Township Monday.

According to the Michigan State Police Post in Newaygo, troopers were dispatched to a larceny complaint Sunday, about 6:45 p.m. on S. Thornapple in Grant Township, Newaygo County. The caller said the suspect was still in the residence.

The caller took off on foot before troopers arrived on scene, and a canine unit was called in. While the canine unit attempted to locate the suspect, a City Watch alert was sent out on the phone line to area residents telling them that a suspect was on the loose and to make sure their doors were locked and their keys were not in their vehicles.

A short time later, a resident who received the call looked out his window and noticed that his pickup truck, a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, with a black bed cover, was missing.

On Monday, March 7, the Kent County Sheriff Department located the suspect and the stolen vehicle near the Olin Lake area in Solon Township. Trooper Bozek of the MSP Newaygo Post responded to the scene with the owner of the stolen vehicle, and the suspect was taken into custody. He was transported to the Newaygo County Jail, and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, March 10. His name is being withheld pending arraignment.

A 77-year-old Cedar Springs man was killed last week when the car he was driving rear-ended another vehicle in Newaygo County.
According to the Michigan State Police Post in Newaygo, the accident occurred on January 21, at 10:20 p.m. at the intersection of M-82 near Cypress Avenue in Croton Township. Witnesses reported that Raymond Truman, 77, of Cedar Springs, was traveling westbound on M-82 near Cypress Avenue when he rear-ended a full-size van also traveling westbound. Truman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The occupants of the van, Stanley and Nancy Robbins, of Newaygo, were treated and released at the scene.
Truman is survived by his wife, Anna, children, Judith Meihls of Belmont, Joseph Benedict of Pierson, Carolyn Lynema of Sparta, Randall Benedict of Cedar Springs, and Robert Benedict of East Grand Rapids. See a complete obituary on page 7.