Tennessee Highway Patrol Announces 2013 Trooper, Dispatcher of the Year

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Highway Patrol named Trooper Vincent Turocy the 2013 Trooper of the Year and Dispatcher Anna Marie Greene received the 2013 Dispatcher of the Year honor at a special awards ceremony held Thursday evening in Nashville.

“It’s nice to have the opportunity to recognize troopers and dispatchers for their hard work throughout the year,” THP Colonel Tracy Trott said. “Trooper Turocy and Dispatcher Greene have set the standard for their peers, and I applaud them for serving our agency, their communities and the state of Tennessee.”

Trooper Vincent Turocy earned the Trooper of the Year honor after actively seeking out an alleged murder suspect traveling through Davidson County last November.  Trooper Turocy was near downtown Nashville when he received a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) in reference to a murder in Illinois. The suspect was being tracked by law enforcement officials in Illinois by cell phone data, as she traveled into Tennessee. Trooper Turocy was in constant communication with the THP Dispatch Center on a possible location for the suspect. The cell phone was tracked on the south side of Nashville and 1.3 miles southeast of a particular cell tower.  Trooper Turocy utilized available technology, including Google Earth on his in-car computer to map out the vicinity of the tower, and then made an educated guess on the suspect’s location. Trooper Turocy’s police work and intuition located the suspect vehicle in a gas station parking lot. He then contacted dispatch to request backup units. Meanwhile, Turocy blocked the suspect vehicle in and decided to conduct an immediate arrest.  He was able to arrest the suspect without incident and also obtain invaluable evidence of the case, which led to charges by Illinois authorities on the suspect. 

Dispatcher Anna Marie Greene of the THP Fall Branch District was named Dispatcher of the Year after handling a shooting incident involving Trooper Jeff Appleba.  During the early morning hours of January 3, 2013, Trooper Appleba was dispatched to “be on the lookout” for a vehicle with a flashing blue light that was reported to have been tailgating other vehicles. Trooper Appleba observed the vehicle, attempted to initiate a traffic stop and a pursuit ensued. Dispatcher Greene immediately requested assistance from other law enforcement agencies. The suspect vehicle eventually exited the interstate and crashed. Then the driver began firing shots at Trooper Appleba and his patrol unit. Dispatcher Greene continued to communicate with the trooper and other agencies, while remaining calm and professional throughout the stressful incident. Units from nearby law enforcement agencies quickly arrived on the scene and the suspects were apprehended. This response brought a potentially deadly situation to a quick end with no serious injuries. Dispatcher Greene’s calm and confident demeanor was reassuring and helped lead Trooper Appleba back home to his family at the end of the day.

“Both of the individuals honored this evening represent the Volunteer State’s proud tradition of service,” Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “They showed bravery and heroism in extraordinary circumstances and deserve our thanks for their commitment to protecting the citizens of this great state.”

Seven other state troopers and dispatchers were also recognized in their respective THP Districts. Additionally, five troopers received awards for life-saving efforts and the top-10 troopers were recognized for DUI and seat belt and child restraint device enforcement, respectively. Five troopers also were honored for their work in stopping hazardous moving violators.  

2013 District Trooper of the Year (* denotes statewide Trooper of the Year)

1. Trooper Jerry Watson, Knoxville District

2. Trooper Stoney Morton, Chattanooga District

3. Trooper Vincent Turocy, Nashville District*

4. Trooper Darline Smith, Memphis District

5. Trooper Vince Mullins, Fall Branch District

6. Trooper Al Seitner, Cookeville District

7. Trooper Michael Kilpatrick, Lawrenceburg District

8. Trooper Michael Sullivan, Jackson District

9. Sgt. Aussie Thaxter, Administrative (Special Ops)

10. Sgt. Robert Johnson, Criminal Investigation

11. Trooper George Stephens, Interdiction

2013 District Dispatcher of the Year (*denotes statewide Dispatcher of the Year)

1. Dispatchers Crystal Millsaps & Andrew Lawson,      Knoxville District

2. Dispatcher Scott Uselton, Chattanooga District

3. Dispatcher Amanda Shivers, Nashville District

4. Dispatcher Bill Dunn, Memphis District

5. Dispatcher Anna Marie Greene, Fall Branch District*

6. Dispatcher Felicia Hoover, Cookeville District

7. Dispatcher Kevin Payne, Lawrenceburg District

8. Dispatcher Tracy Lockard, Jackson District

2013 Lifesaver Award Recipients

1. Trooper John Pedigo, Knoxville District

2. Trooper Donald Binkley, Nashville District

3. Trooper Bradley Robbins, Fall Branch District

4. Trooper Erik Raines, Fall Branch District

5. Trooper Jeff Coffey, Fall Branch District

2013 Top 10 Troopers honored for DUI Enforcement

1.  Stoney Morton, Chattanooga District – 170 arrests

2.  Tommy Lyles, Chattanooga District – 119 arrests

3.  Vince Mullins, Fall Branch District – 106 arrests

4.  Vincent Turocy, Nashville District – 82 arrests

5.  Michael Kilpatrick, Lawrenceburg District–81 arrests

6.  Michael Sullivan, Jackson District – 77 arrests

7.  Jason Boles, Chattanooga District – 76 arrests

8.  Michael Marvin, Nashville District – 67 arrests

9.  Jason Kirk, Jackson District – 65 arrests

10. Adam Grinder, Nashville District – 64 arrests

2013 Top 10 Troopers honored for Seat Belt & Child Restraint Device Enforcement

1.  Jerry Watson, Knoxville District – 1,394 citations

2.  Billy Smith, Nashville District – 1,205 citations

3.  William Head, Nashville District – 1,083 citations

4.  William Bennett, Nashville District – 1,008 citations

5.  Joe Agee, Nashville District – 941 citations

6.  Stephen Barclay, Knoxville District – 786 citations

7.  Clint Todd, Jackson District – 706 citations

8.  James Knipper, Fall Branch District – 531 citations

9.  Carll Duryea, Knoxville District – 511 citations

10. Vincent Turocy, Nashville District – 502 citations