sig 05-09 one.p65 - Oklahoma Department of Public Safety

the Safety Signal
They drive for those who died
May 2009
Ten years ago, Allison
Eales lost her father. David
“Rocky” Eales was murdered in
1999 in the line of duty. A
group called the TASER
Foundation
raises
awareness for
fallen officers.
Each year they
drive an
Hummer H3
from
Vancouver
south to Los
Angeles and
east to
Washington,
DC.
“What
we’re doing
during the
drive is, we
have the names
of all the
officers who
were killed in the line of duty in
the last year in the U.S. and
Canada, “ said Sgt. Steve
Gibson, retired officer from
Canada. “We feel like we’re
taking a little piece of these
officers with us to Washington
DC. “If there are any family
members present on our stops
along the way, we invite them
over to sign the hood. Most
signatures are all from family
members.”
He points to one
particular autograph. “This
little girl right here is three years
old,” said Gibson. “Her name is
Ardia. She signed the best she
Mackie Eales and sister Allison show a copy of the letter she left at the
National Peace Officers Memorial in Washington, DC when Allison,
now 16, was 10 years old. The letter inspired an annual “rolling
memorial” to raise awareness for officers killed in the line of duty.
could.”
Trooper Eales was killed
in 1999 and Allison wrote a
letter a few years later after his
death and left it beside his name
in Washington, DC.
“That’s where I saw it,”
Gibson said. “I was touched by
the letter and took a photo of it.
A few months later contacted the
Eales family. I got the idea of a
type of rolling memorial, and I
thought it would be great to put
Allison’s letter on the back
because that really tells
everybody what it’s all about.
My grade school teacher
entered me in this
contest for which
I’m thankful for,”
said Eales. “And
she told me she
had the idea I
could write about
my dad. I was 12
when I wrote it.
Out of 450 entries
I was picked in the
top five and went
to a cafe in Tulsa
to read it. I didn’t
know it at the time
but they already
had the winner
selected; they
picked me.”
As the rolling
memorial stopped in Oklahoma
City on May 6, Eales got behind
the wheel of the Hummer and
took it for a spin.
If you would like to submit
information or a story idea to
be published please send your
information to Public
Information Officer Deanna
Hargus, editor, via e-mail to
dhargus@dps.state.ok.us or
call 405-425-7708.
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(Continued)

Drive (Con’d.)
“Steve and Craig told me
that people cry when they read
my letter; that just touches me,”
said Eales.
Drive to Remember is a
tour that was created to raise
awareness about officers who are
killed in the line of duty.
CoptoCop news editors and
publishers Gibson and Craig
Prystay drove the Hummer more
than 5,000 miles in 12 days and
attended many events including
the National Peace Officers
Memorial Service.
“The Hummer is
wrapped in striking law
enforcement memorial graphics
with the names of the American
and Canadian officers who were
killed in the line of duty in the
last year alone and prominently
displayed on the hood,” said
Prystay. “The drive is a
partnership between CoptoCop
News and the TASER
Foundation and would not be
possible without help from our
many friends and sponsors.
Prystay and Gibson meet
many along their journey.
“We get to meet a lot of
good people along the way, but
sadly even since our trek last
year, two of our new friends died
in the line of duty,” said Prystay.
“We attend a lot of funerals and
memorials and probably one of
the neatest things I heard a
preacher say at one of these
gatherings was ‘live your life so
that at your funeral your
preacher won’t have to lie for
you.’ That made an impact on
me.”
Kelli Eales (left), widow of Trooper David “Rocky” Eales killed in the
line of duty in 1999, Sgt. Steve Gibson, Eales’ daughter Allison, and
son Mackie, with Craig Prystay meet in Oklahoma City as the rolling
memorial makes a brief stop. A letter from Allison served as
inspiration for the project.
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(Continued)

Drive (Con’d.)
This letter by Allison Eales was posted at the
National Law Enforcement Memorial as a tribute
to her father. It was discovered by Sgt. Steve
Gibson and served as inspiration for the rolling
memorial.
MY daddy, a hero !!
Although I have many things in my life to be appreciative of, I am most thankful for my dad. He was
killed when I was 6 ½ years old, but in that short time we made enough memories to last a lifetime.
When it was storming outside, I am thankful that he would let me crawl up on his lap and snuggle
with me until the storm was over. Looking back he was teaching me that even when something is
scary, being around those you love helps you get through it.
Our house is located on a big hill. For exercise we would walk up and down it while talking. I am
thankful for the conversations we had and will always remember them in my head.
My dad used to film me when I played basketball. He would get really excited cheering for me and
lose me in the camera. I am thankful that I can always watch those movies and hear him cheering
for me with all his heart.
Lastly, I am thankful that even in death, my dad taught me courage. He knew the difference between
right and wrong and sadly gave the ultimate sacrifice trying to do what was right. He was trying to
arrest a man when the man shot him.
Some kids go through their whole life not having a good father. I am glad that my dad showed me
enough love in 6 ½ short years to last me my whole life. I am so very thankful to have had him.
I love you daddy!
MISS ya.
ALLI 632 ¼
(Allison, 6th grade, daughter)
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Legislators honor troopers of the year
Trp. Sheldon Robinson (top, middle) receives recogntion on the Senate floor
and is joined by father Jackie (left), mother Rose, wife Nicole, Senator Judy
Eason McIntyre and Ltc. John Harris. Lt. George “Buddy” Lambert (above,
second from right) addresses the floor of the House with his wife Lisa (left)
and Trp. Ben Bertram by his side.
On the afternoon of May
4, two troopers were brought
before Oklahoma’s legislators on
both the House and Senate floor
and given recognitions for being
awarded as troopers of the year.
Rep. Lucky Lamon,
Rep. Paul Roan and Rep. Chuck
Hoskin recognized the troopers
on the House side, and Senators
John Ford and Judy Eason
McIntyre sponsored citations for
the Senate.
“It’s an honor for me to
stand up here with these
distinguished guests we have
brought here today,” said Roan.
“This is my ninth year, and I’ve
been involved in presenting to
the House of Representatives
each year, the troopers of the
year. Standing before you today
are two troopers who are the
troopers of the year for 2008.
It’s my honor at this time to
recognize Representative Lucky
Lamon who will recognize one
of the two troopers here today,
and will make comment.”
The speaker of the house
recognized Lamon for
comments.
“Today is a reminder to
every person here that the safety,
freedom and prosperity we enjoy
does not come cheaply,” said
Lamon. “Every community ...
in every community around
Oklahoma, men and women risk
their lives each day to keep us
safe. For their devotion to duty
and willingness to serve
community, we are forever in
their debt. Today it is my honor
to introduce Trooper Sheldon
Robinson from Troop R in
Tulsa, a 12-year veteran of the
highway patrol and four-years
with the Muskogee Police
Department.”
The clerk read the
citation which briefly explained
the act that got Robinson the
award, and congratulated him.
Robinson commented on his
recognition.
“First of all I’d like to
thank God for everything
turning out safely on that day,
and each and every day that I
wake up and put on this
uniform,” said Robinson. “Also
I’d like to recognize my mother
and father, Jackie and Rose
Robinson, out of Broken Arrow.
I just thank everyone here for
your support. Thank you very
much. And my wife Nicole ... I
would have never gotten the
award if it wasn’t for her calling
me.”
Hoskin lauded Lambert
for his achievement.
“I echo the sentiments of
Representative Lamon. These
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(Continued)

Recognition (Con’d.)
people are extremely special; everyone that puts
on a uniform and goes out and protects us is
special,” said Hoskin. “We sometimes don’t like
to see them in our rearview mirror when we’re
driving down the turnpike ... occasionally kind of
gives you that kind of queasy feeling,” said
Hoskin. “But we sure want to see them when
there is a problem. And they are always there
without fail. Here today we celebrate two of the
best in the state of Oklahoma. I’m here to
recognize Lieutenant George Buddy Lambert.
Buddy Lambert came to Vinita, my home town,
17 years ago to begin his service to the people of
this great state as a state trooper.”
Hoskin gave the details of the shooting
situation for which Lambert was nominated for the
award, and then the citation was read. Lambert
was also given the opportunity to comment.
“I’d like to thank all of you for having me
down here,” said Lambert. “I have with me today
my wife Lisa, and my two sons Tyler and Tanner,
and my mother Dee. I’d like to thank the House
for all their support for the highway patrol. There
are several hundred other troopers out there
working the road everyday that deserve this award
just as well as I do. They appreciate your support
as well, thank you.”
LETD receives award for succesful program
Ltc. Greg Allen (left) congratulates Trp. Eric
Cannaday, Trp. Alan Beaty and Cpt. Don Stockton for
their work with the TraCS program.
The Law Enforcement Technology
Development division has led the charge for
mobile computing for the highway patrol.
“Cpt. Don Stockton and his staff have
worked tirelessly with the other players on the
TraCS project to insure the program meets the
needs of the officers and supervisors in the field,”
said Maj. Mike Thompson. “They have selected
and provided technical assistance and training to
an outstanding group of pilot officers. They also
developed a CLEET-certified training curriculum
and have recently completed an aggressive
training schedule for nearly 200 troopers currently
using the system.”
Full deployment of the system is
anticipated by July 2010.
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Stockton, Trp. Alan Beaty and Trp. Eric
Cannaday were presented an award of excellence
by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office at the
kickoff luncheon for the 2009 Click it or Ticket
traffic safety campaign.
The award reads “for exemplary service
in the field of traffic safety; your contributions
are saving lives on Oklahoma roads.”
“These guys received recognition for their
diligence and dedication to duty on this project,”
said Thompson. “They have put together one of
the best and most efficient reporting systems in the
nation. They have tackled this project with a great
amount of fervor, and we are proud of the
outcome. It is a great benefit to this agency and to
the citizens of Oklahoma.”

eViews
DL Examiner Brian Snow
(Not pictured: DL Examiner Leon Spencer)
DL Examiner Larry Hillyard
Recently my wife and I
were in the McAlester driver
examination office to get a stateissued
identification card for my
mother. She has a condition
called progressive supranuclear
palsy or PSP that prevents her
from having a driver license.
She needed to get an ID for
banking, etc.
Examiner Brian Snow
was very helpful as was Examiner
Leon Spencer. I say very
helpful is an understatement
because he, Mr. Snow, first of all
let us know what was required
(documents). But not only did
he and Mr. Spencer tell us tell us
what was needed but did it in a
very courteous, professional and
friendly manner. I know what it
is to work on that side of the
counter, meeting the public. My
mother worked for the Oklahoma
State Employment Commission
for over 30 years. She
told me many times how rude
people could be. Meeting the
public has not jaded Mr. Snow
or Mr. Spencer; on the contrary,
as I have already mentioned they
were very courteous and helpful
in holding our hands to do what
was necessary to complete the
documentation leading to the
state-issued ID.
I don’t normally write
letters like this. Maybe I’m a
little jaded, but as we were
leaving and I said thank you,
Mr. Snow’s reply was, “I was
glad to help. It could have been
my grandmother.”
I will sum this up by
saying THANK YOU to the
state of Oklahoma for having
employees like Mr. Snow and
Mr. Spencer.
Rod and Diane Hamburg
McAlester, Oklahoma
Subject:
Larry Hillyard
To Whom It May Concern: I
wanted to take time to give an
examiner out of Tulsa a
compliment. Mr. Hillyard out of
the east Tulsa office went
above and beyond treating
customers with respect. There
were three of us trying to get
our motorcycle license and Mr.
Hillyard was our driving
examiner. We were all nervous
and really didn’t have a good
idea of how difficult our test
would be, Mr. Hillyard put us
at ease with his courtesy and
kindness. He was strict and
very particular but a very
courteous individual. I wanted
to let someone know this
individual shines and it was my
pleasure meeting him.
Regards,
Wesley Jones
Sapulpa, Ok
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(Continued)

eViews (Con’d.)
Subject: Trooper Jack
Name: Jean Ross
Title: Trooper Jack
Comments:
Trp. Tyler Jack
Last Saturday, as I was returning
home from Ada, I wasn’t paying
attention to my speed and
Trooper Jack stopped me. I am
65 years old and have had a few
encounters with the troopers but
have never had one to be so
courteous and professionally
kind. I only received a warning
and I plan to pay better attention
to my speed and to use my
cruise. I just wanted to tell
someone how nice, but still very
professional, the trooper was to
me.
Administrative Technician III
Melissa Hayes
Subject:Melissa Hayes
Comments:
Melissa Hayes is
probably the most
professional, nicest,
most helpful person
who I have ever
contacted at any
business whether in
person, by phone, or
by the internet. You
are extremely lucky
to have her as an
employee, and I hope
you let her know how
much you appreciate
her. She works at the
Correspondence Desk
in Driver Compliance.
Sincerely,
Karen Wyatt
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Singing trooper has passion for age-old pastime
Trp. Stan McConnell has
been in high demand for several
years for his singing ability. He
has performed at everything
from church services and
revivals, to graduations,
weddings, funerals, ball
games and even a few
swearing-in ceremonies.
Although he loves
performing, he has gradually
developed a stronger passion
for another talent he has
possessed for many years;
wood carving.
“It’s really kind of
weird to say, but I have
always liked to mess with
wood,” said McConnell. “I
have taken cabinet-making
courses years ago and then a
friend of mine who was
well-versed in wood carving
held classes more recently. I
just really like doing it. I
think it’s neat to take a piece
of wood and carve
something out of it.”
McConnell said
once he started doing it, it
just stuck.
“I have gradually
gotten better because I just like
to do it,” said McConnell. “Not
many people today are doing it.
Most of the time, things like the
highway patrol badge are
programmed and punched out by
a machine that does everything.
There’s just not that many that
do it by hand, but there’s some
and they are generally in
woodcarving groups.”
McConnell took the
eight-week course and two
weeks into it he came up with
the design for the badge and
measured it out.
Trp. Stan McConnell whittled the oversized
badge, a replica of his own. It took him
approximately five to six weeks.
“It took me about five or
six weeks to complete although I
did not work on it constantly and
that included the time it took to
design it,” McConnell said. “I
have carved Santa Clause
figurines, signs that say ‘merry
Christmas’ and I took a chain
saw-carving course and carved
out a bear which was fun. I had
a blast and a wonderful time
doing it. I haven’t yet perfected
myself on that but I still piddle
with it to get better. It’s a little
more time-consuming because
you can’t just grab the project
and put it on your lap and
work on it while watching
TV. Although I’m coming
along, I have a ways to go.
It’s all just fun to do.
He said someday when
he gets good at using the
chain saw he’ll be able to
just drive through any
neighborhood looking for
old, dying trees and
approach the owner about
cutting it down and carving
it. He will be able to detail
the design to what they want
and project the time it will
take to carve it.
“I’ll draw it out before I
carve it but it might not
come out exactly like it
when considering knots in
the tree,” McConnell said.
“Basically you have to
utilize what the tree has
within the design.”
News of McConnell’s
OHP badge has traveled fast and
he has already received several
orders. The singing trooper -
who incidentally has recorded
two CDs that are available - says
the orders he has received will
keep him busy for weeks to
come.
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DPS receives health certification award
On January 13, 2009,
the Department of Public Safety
was awarded the Certified
Healthy Business Award for
meeting certain criteria in
promoting healthy programs for
its employees.
Each year applicants
across the state of Oklahoma
can apply for the award which is
sponsored by the Oklahoma
Academy for State Goals,
Oklahoma Department of
Health, Oklahoma State
Chamber and the Oklahoma
Turning-Point Council.
“Although this is not the
highest category, DPS won the
award and it is an honor to be
accepted,” said Andrea Moon, IS
data management analyst, as
well as DPS wellness
coordinator, “We can only get
better as more and more healthy
programs are encouraged and
promoted.”
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Employees volunteer for domestic violence scenarios
4
1
3
2
Sometimes Department of Public Safety
employees have the opportunity to help with
training scenarios for the highway patrol cadets.
This was the case on May 12 when the cadets
were being trained on how to handle domestic
violence situations.
Trp. Charles Cowden (4, right) and Trp.
Will Arnett (2, right), both firearms instructors for
the academy, joined Hearing Officers Candice
Ramsey (1, right) and Peggy Goodson (4, second
from right), Public Information Officer Deanna
Hargus and temporary employee Katja Nichols (3,
right) as they became actors to play out various
scenarios.
In accordance with academy curriculum,
cadets are given classroom instruction prior to
participating in the scenarios. The actors were
separated into two rooms in the Robert R. Lester
Training Center and briefed on their scenes.
The scenarios, although labeled as violent,
were not physical but a passive training exercise
for the cadets. The cadets were partnered off and
were brought to the scene, two by two. Both
scenarios portrayed a couple having a verbal
argument but there were extenuating legal
circumstances and issues that the cadets were to
discover and handle appropriately.
They were graded on their ability to handle
the situations properly in addition to the proper
completion of the police report.
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Employee Appreciation Week serves up fun
1
DPS Activities Committee Member (1) Georgia Maynard (left),
Information Systems division, serves pizza to Imogene Kelly
(right), Driver Compliance division, during the Employee
Appreciation Week along with server Valerie Ring (second from
left), OLETS division whom Maynard recruited to assist. The
annual event sponsors free pizza and week-long casual wear
for employees. This year the committee added a gathering for
free Coke floats to end the week of appreciation. Information
Systems Services employees (2) Nick Ellis (front), Chad
Golden (third from left) and Donnie Baer (right) line up for
pizza with Missy Hayes (left), Driver Compliance. From the
Commissioner’s Office (3) Ginger Greene (left) and Bea
Ellerbee along with Chief’s Office Nancy Shipley were served
by volunteer Lisa Jorgensen.
3
2
McClaran receives service award
Photos: Elise Rinta
Dave McClaran, retired trooper and director of Data
Services division, was presented a certificate by
Commissioner Kevin Ward for 30 years of service to
the agency. McClaran later added a personal note
from his e-mail signature block, a quote from George
Aston, “And I think as I angle for fish, it’s delightfully
easy to fish - but harder than blazes to catch them.”
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At large ...
Grandson of Bea Ellerbee, commissioner’s office, Joshua
Turner, is a missionary in the Sydney, Australia area. He is
dancing with his new wife Binh, left, (pronounced BIN)
Truong; they were married in a sunrise ceremony. She works
for a television station in Sydney. Bea’s son Greg Turner
(above) flew to Australia to attend the wedding and then
traveled north to the Gold Coast area on a sight-seeing trip.
The picture of Greg and the kangaroo was taken at the
Australia Zoo.
“Don’t you think this is hilarious?! Looks like a
ghostly image,” said Driver Compliance Tawanna White,
administrative officer.
White submitted this photo of Mike Moery, IS planning
specialist, after he was in her division adjusting the copier.
“Mike was setting our copier so that it would scan documents
to our division folder,” said White. “He had nothing
immediately available to test it, but his face. I thought it was so
funny because all you can see is part of his face, no neck, etc. I
loved it!”
Special thanks to Moery for letting us share his funny
photo because it’s always good to see DPS employees enjoy a
moment of fun.
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