March Sworn Team Member of the Month

Sworn Team Member of the Month

Christopher Leach
Corporal
Missouri State Highway Patrol

March Non-Sworn Team Members of the Month

Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month

Brad Coffey
Section Chief

Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month

James Parks
Section Chief

Non-Sworn Team Member of the Month

Chris Wilde
Technical Support Manager

Missouri State Highway Patrol

Chris E. Leach, a Corporal in Troop E of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, is the March 2024 DPS Sworn Team Member of the Month for his swift action to save the life of a motorist.

On the morning of Oct. 17, 2023, Chris was on patrol on Route B in Butler County when he noticed a pickup truck stopped on the shoulder of the road. Chris activated his emergency lights, approached the vehicle, and found the 82-year-old driver slumped over the steering wheel. He was not able to move his right arm or leg and was drooling. Chris put the vehicle into park because the driver was not able to. He then requested an ambulance and contacted the driver’s wife to explain what had occurred. Butler County EMS transported the driver to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

The medical center later advised that because Chris had acted quickly, medical personnel had been able to administer lifesaving treatment and increase the chances of recovery. Four days later, the driver came to Troop E headquarters and reported to Chris’ supervisor that he had pulled his vehicle over when he began experiencing stroke-like symptoms with the hope that a trooper would find him. He said, “Corporal Leach is a credit to your organization and the reason I’m alive.”

Quick, reliable emergency communications make a tremendous difference no matter the emergency. Yet, when 911 calls were transferred to the Patrol from local agencies, the Patrol was not receiving the basic 911 data, including location and Caller ID, from each call. This forced Patrol communication officers to question callers for the same information already provided to the local Public Safety Answering Point.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the Patrol received funding to allow it to become a secondary PSAP and receive the call location, Caller ID and all the information already provided to 911. But the communications system had to be designed, built and successfully implemented. Section Chief James Parks took the primary role of project manager; Section Chief Brad Coffey had the lead in getting the necessary equipment set up and integrated into the existing systems in place in the troops; and Technical Support Manager Chris Wilde took the lead in integrating the existing phone system into the new 911 call-handling system.

James, Brad and Chris each had separate pieces of this complex project but they worked seamlessly together. The project was also a success because of how smoothly they worked with each of their teams and the input and expertise they sought out from everyone involved in each facet of the communications system, from telecommunication officers to call-handling vendors.

The system now in place eliminates the need for callers to repeat information, expedites responses and means better outcomes when people call 911.

Congratulations to all the Team Members of the Month! You have set an outstanding example for your co-workers throughout the Department of Public Safety.

 

The Missouri Department of Public Safety. Many Missions. One Team.