2014 Team Member of the Month Archives

January 2014

Cpl. Michael Bracker

Cpl. Michael Bracker, Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the January, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety.  Cpl. Bracker was selected for this award for his relentless effort throughout a two year investigation involving numerous cattle thefts in southwest Missouri.  There were no clues or evidence available for Cpl. Bracker to pursue; however, his persistence and determination to solve the case led to the identity, apprehension, and arrest of the individual responsible for the theft and illegal sale of stolen cattle, in addition to over $200,000 in stolen property.  Further charges are expected in additional Missouri counties as this investigation evolves. 

February 2014

Sgt. Shawn Price

Cpl. Freddie Butler, Jr.

Trooper Adam Miller

Sgt. Shawn Price, Cpl. Freddie Butler, Jr. and Trooper Adam Miller, Missouri State Highway Patrol, have been selected as the February, 2014 Employees of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Sgt. Price, Cpl. Butler, and Trooper Miller were selected for this award for their individual, yet critical, contributions in responding to an incident of an abandoned vehicle, an individual with known suicidal tendencies, rugged secluded terrain, and severe prolonged bodily exposure to nature’s elements. Collectively, their efforts undoubtedly resulted in saving the life of the victim.

March 2014

Trooper Joseph Palmer

Trooper Brooks Pratt

Trooper Joseph Palmer and Trooper Brooks Pratt, Missouri State Highway Patrol, have been selected as the March, 2014 Employees of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Trooper Palmer and Trooper Pratt were selected for this award for their responsiveness to a situation involving a single vehicle accident that had traveled off the roadway and overturned in a water filled drainage ditch. With the ambient air temperature of 25 degrees, Trooper Palmer and Trooper Pratt made numerous attempts to save the lives of the vehicle occupants by entering the freezing cold water. Trooper Palmer and Trooper Pratt performed an extraordinary act of heroism by extending far and beyond the call of duty to a situation demanding immediate action that involved considerable personal danger to themselves.

April 2014

Jeff O’Callaghan

Jeff O’Callaghan, Military Security Officer within the Office of the Adjutant General, has been selected as the April, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Jeff was selected for this award for the outstanding, professional manner in which he performs the duties of his position, in addition to always going above and beyond by volunteering for additional duties wherever there is a need. Jeff’s work ethic serves as an inspiration to all employees and reflects well not only upon him but upon the entire agency.

May 2014

Trooper Jeffry Leathers

Trooper Jeffry Leathers, Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the May, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Trooper Leathers was selected for this award for his unselfish and heroic actions in response to a residential fire. Not once, but twice, Trooper Leathers entered into a burning residence to evacuate people and move them to an area of safety. The second entry into the residence was even more complicated than the first due to objects exploding all around him, sending shrapnel through the air. Trooper Leathers undoubtedly risked his own safety to save the life of a young child from the burning residence.

June 2014

Trooper Richard Ayers

Trooper Richard Ayers, Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the June, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Trooper Ayers was selected for this award for the extraordinary act of heroism he demonstrated that extended far and beyond the call of duty in a situation involving a citizen trapped in a flash flooded waterway in Southeast Missouri on April 27, 2014. Trooper Ayer acted unselfishly to a situation which demanded immediate action and involved considerable personal danger. Trooper Ayers undoubtedly placed his life in significant danger with the highest and utmost regard for the well-being of and safety for the citizens of the state of Missouri.

July 2014

Sergeant Jeffery Creech

Trooper Steven Peterson

Sergeant Jeffery Creech and Trooper Steven Peterson, Missouri State Highway Patrol, have been selected as the July, 2014 Employees of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Sergeant Creech and Trooper Peterson were selected for this award for the selfless bravery that they demonstrated in rescuing two citizens who were trapped in a flooded roadway in Ralls County on May 11, 2014. The situation created a considerable danger to the personal safety of Sergeant Creech and Trooper Peterson, yet their quick assessment and response to the situation were directly responsible for saving the lives of both citizens.

August 2014

Timothy Murphy

Timothy Murphy, Driver Examiner Supervisor within the Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the August, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Timothy was selected for this award for his courageous actions that resulted in two lives being saved. Timothy was performing his routine duties as a driver examiner when he came upon a burning residence. Timothy immediately requested emergency assistance, ran to the residence and removed two occupants, one of which was elderly and unable to walk without assistance. Timothy's actions were taken without regard for his own safety, and went above and beyond what is normally expected.

September 2014

Felicia Studeny

Felicia Studeny, Nursing Assistant I within the Missouri Veterans Commission, has been selected as the September, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Felicia was selected for this award because of her ability to excel as a quality caregiver. On a daily basis, Felicia showcases her abilities in recognizing and/or knowing specific Veteran needs and preferences, while giving the best, homelike, safe, quality care in her every interaction with every Veteran. Felicia models excellence and inspires motivation in her coworkers to serve Veterans in the same manner that she demonstrates daily.

October 2014

Carita Trent

Carita Trent, Senior Office Support Assistant (Keyboarding) within the Missouri Veterans Commission – Higginsville Veterans Cemetery, has been selected as the October, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Carita was selected for this award for the exemplary standards she exhibits in establishing and maintaining a professional work environment, while at the same time being supportive, inviting, and compassionate to the families of the veterans. Patience, compassion, and understanding are all synonymous traits with Carita’s personality and work ethic.

November 2014

Sergeant Michael Quilty

Sergeant Michael Quilty, Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the November, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Sergeant Quilty was selected for this award for his quick and innovate thinking under extremely difficult conditions that resulted in saving the lives of eight individuals who were trapped in flash floodwaters. Sergeant Quilty’s knowledge of the area and the positive working relationships that he has with agencies in the area were instrumental in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion. The courage and bravery displayed by Sergeant Quilty, as well as the other individuals who assisted with the rescues, speaks volumes about his character, as he did not did hesitate to place themselves in harm’s way for the safety of others.

December 2014

Elizabeth Weyrauch

Elizabeth Weyrauch, State Hazard Mitigation Officer within the State Emergency Management Agency, has been selected as the December, 2014 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Elizabeth was selected for this award for her outstanding effort throughout the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) review of Missouri’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program. The knowledge, expertise, and dedication that Elizabeth exhibited throughout the review process were essential to the state program’s Enhanced Status designation being approved. Missouri’s designation of Enhanced Status, in turn, translates into better service to and more effective protection of Missouri citizens, as well as additional mitigation funding.