BATON ROUGE – Louisiana State Police held its 2017 awards ceremony on Friday to honor Troopers, public safety personnel and civilians for performing above the call of duty.

The award ceremony was held at the Louisiana State Police Training Academy on Independence Boulevard. Award recipients represented examples of bravery, dedication and exceptional work ethic.

Awards presented are as follows:

Lifesaving Award – Awarded for any act which results in saving or sustaining the life of a person:

Sgt. Derrick Stewart (Troop B)

DPS Sergeant Chris Pesson (Crescent City Connection)

Senior Trooper David Easley (Troop B)

Senior Trooper Robert Powell (Troop L)

Master Trooper Shawn Boyd (Troop B)

Master Trooper Stacy Cole (Troop E)

Master Trooper Michael Linton (Troop F)

Trooper First Class Eric Thaxton (Troop N)

Trooper Santiago St. Clair (Troop B)

Robert Guillory (Civilian)

Josh Burns (Civilian)


Service Injury Award – Awarded for significant injuries incurred while acting within the scope of official duty:

Trooper Carlos Pineda (Troop N)


Richard Honeycutt Award – Awarded for outstanding service and dedication to duty by a Communications Officer:

Communications Officer 3 Shanga Hill


Uniformed Trooper of the Year – Awarded for consistent display of outstanding qualities that exemplify a member of the Louisiana State Police:

Trooper Brady Johnson (Troop I)


Blue Max Award – Awarded for the most recovered stolen vehicles with arrests in a 12 month period:

Trooper First Class Archibald Forsyth (Troop A)

Trooper Jack Uhle (Troop N)


Meritorious Service Award – Awarded for performance of duty that exceeds the normal expectations of duty and demonstrates an exceptional degree of good judgment, initiative, and competence:

Master Trooper Scott Coco (Troop E)

Trooper Allen Jackson (Troop E)

Trooper First Class Chance Guilliams (Troop E)

Sergeant Michael Nugent (Troop E)

Senior Trooper Jason Martel (Troop E)

Trooper Travis Luken (Troop L)

Trooper Jarrod Miles (Troop C)

Master Trooper Rodger Cason (Troop G)

Senior Trooper Brent Peart (Troop GF)

Trooper First Class George "Trey" Strickland (Troop G)

Trooper First Class Matthew Titus (Troop G)

Senior Trooper Herman Newell (Troop L)

Trooper Jack Uhle (Troop N)

Trooper Michael Mercante (CID Region 1 – Hammond)

Trooper Munish Tanwar (Troop N)

Trooper Monroe Dillon (CID Region 1 – New Orleans)

Trooper Dereck Clark (Troop N)

Trooper Kipp Fellon (Troop N)

Trooper Carlos Pineda (Troop N)

Trooper First Class Eric Thaxton (Troop N)

Trooper Justin Rice (CID Region 2 – Houma)

Senior Trooper John Martinez (Transportation Safety Services - Metairie)

Trooper First Class Douglas Thompson (Troop A)

Trooper Brian Melvin (Troop B)

Trooper Jonathan James (Troop C)

Sergeant Brett Travis (Troop D)

Master Trooper Byron Juneau (Troop E)

Trooper First Class Frank Kuba (Troop G)

Master Trooper Patrick Dunn (Troop L)

DPS Officer Gailand "PJ" Freeman (DPS Capitol Detail – Baton Rouge)

DPS Officer William Brewster (Transportation Safety Services – Baton Rouge)

Rusty Perry, LA Wildlife and Fisheries

Buddy King, Winn Parish Fire Department

Chief Deputy Steven Martel, Avoyelles Parish S.O.

LSP K-9 "Ricco"

Trooper Allen Jackson (Troop E)


Exceptional Bravery Award – Awarded for acts of bravery which result in the saving of a human life, or the attempt to do so, at the risk of one's personal safety:

John Eastwold (Civilian)

John LaBruzzo (Civilian)

Robert Fletcher (Civilian)


Fusion Center Award – The Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange Center (LA-SAFE) was awarded the prestigious NFCA/IBM "Fusion Center of the Year Award" at the 2016 National Fusion Center Association's annual training event in Alexandria, VA in recognition of the exceptional service LA-SAFE provides to the citizens of Louisiana and the nation.