NEWS RELEASE
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2016) — Sixteen KSP Troopers and six Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers have received Governor’s Occupant Protection Awards for their efforts to increase the use of seat belts and child restraints in motor vehicles.
The awards are based on the number of seat belt and child restraint citations issued in each KSP post or CVE region area. The recipients include:
POST 1: Sr. Tpr. Nathan Clinkenbeard
POST 2: Det. Craig Engler
POST 3: Tpr. Ashcon Karbasi
POST 4: Tpr. Jonathan Downs
POST 5: Tpr. Barrett Brewer
POST 6: Tpr. Zach Alsip
POST 7: Tpr. Toney Allen
POST 8: Tpr. Britt Rollins
POST 9: Tpr. Justin Wireman
POST 10: TFC Jason Scott Young
POST 11: TFC Sean Dixson
POST 12: Tpr. Stuart Wiser
POST 13: Tpr. Jeff McWhorter
POST 14: Tpr. Timothy Duvall
POST 15: Tpr. Charles Hedgespeth
POST 16: Tpr. David Ammon
REGION 1: Ofr. John Sweeney
REGION 2: Sgt. Dewayne Koch
REGION 3: Sgt. Daniel Abner
REGION 4: Ofr. Mark Scott
REGION 5: Sgt. Doug Stacy
REGION 6: Lt. Nathaniel Day
Tpr. Barrett Brewer, of Post 5 in Campbellsburg, led the agency with 812 citations. A four-and-a-half-year veteran of the agency, Brewer is a resident of LaGrange, Ky.
“These officers render a great service for public safety by enforcing our occupant protection laws,” said Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton. “They are literally our eyes on the road and because of them, Kentucky’s roadways are safer.”
There were 761 total highway fatalities in Kentucky in 2015, with 588 killed in motor vehicles. Of those 588 fatalities, 300 (61 percent) were not wearing a seat belt.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belts, when worn correctly, are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat occupants by 45 percent – and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans. Also according to NHTSA, a properly installed, belt-positioning booster seat lowers the risk of injury to children by nearly 60 percent, compared with seat belts alone.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Kentucky State Police Post 5 Tpr. Barrett Brewer received a Governor’s Occupant Protection Award from Noelle Hunter, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, on July 28. Brewer led KSP with 812 seat belt and child restraint citations.