KSP Post 1 Fallen Trooper, Personnel, and local Civillians Honored at Annual KSP Award Ceremony

(1) KSP GMV LW23
KSP Sims Det of the Year
KSP Williams Tpr of the Year
WadeWhite KSP Citation for Meritorious Achievement
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 17, 2016) -- The Governor’s Medal of Valor was posthumously
awarded to Cameron Ponder, a Kentucky State Trooper killed in the line of duty in
2015, at a ceremony held in Lexington on June 17.

Gov. Matt Bevin presented the award to Brenda Tiffany and Joseph Ponder, parents of
Trooper Ponder.

The Governor’s Medal of Valor is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an
officer of the Kentucky State Police for conspicuous heroism in the line of duty
under circumstances of extreme personal hazard. It is awarded only by order of the
Governor. Including Trooper Ponder, 19 Kentucky State Troopers have been awarded the
medal since 1973.

Ponder was 31 years old and had been a trooper for eight months when he was shot and
killed on Sept. 13, 2015 during a late night traffic stop and pursuit in Lyon
County. After an eight-hour search, the perpetrator was fatally wounded by the KSP
Special Response Team after he refused commands to drop his weapon and pointed it at
officers.

Ponder is the 30th Kentucky State Police officer to lose his life in the line of
duty since the agency was established in 1948.

KSP also announced the 2015 Trooper of the Year, Detective of the Year, Commercial
Vehicle Enforcement Officer of the Year, Facilities Security Officer of the Year and
other awards for acts of bravery, life-saving, professionalism and dedication to
duty at the ceremony.

“You all are a room full of men and women who take in and you give back, and our
state will be eternally grateful to you for that," Gov. Bevin told the honorees.
"You take in and you give back. I challenge you to continue to do that – to
recognize how important that is because you bring life to the communities that
you're part of.”



Detective of the Year - Agency

Twenty-one troopers were named Detective of the Year at the post, branch or division
level. including Detective John Sims, a Mayfield, Ky. resident, who was named 2015
Detective of the Year for the entire state of Kentucky.

Sims is a 13-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police, he is assigned to KSP Post 1
in Mayfield.  In 2015 Sims worked multiple Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)
cases that led to the arrest and prosecution of multiple child predators.  Detective
Sims has also worked multiple theft cases involving hundreds of thousands of dollars
in stolen or misappropriated funds.

Sims is a 1993 graduate of Lone Oak High School in Paducah, KY and a 1997 graduate
of PCC/Greenville College.  He is the son of Ted and Stephanie Sims, of Paducah, KY.



Trooper of the Year - Post 1

Seventeen troopers were named Trooper of the Year at the post, branch or division
level, including Trooper First Class T.J. Williams.

Williams is a fourteen-year veteran of the agency and a native of Smithland,
Kentucky.  In 2015 Williams issued 1,457 citations.  He arrested 12 individuals for
driving under the influence, responded to 73 complaints, investigated 62 criminal
cases, and made 340 criminal arrests. He is assigned as a STEP Unit and works
criminal interdiction patrols across the post district.

Williams is a 1992 graduate of Livingston Central High School.  He is the son of
Tommy and Charlotte Williams, of Smithland, KY.


KSP Citation for Meritorious Achievement

Seven individuals, including Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White, received the
KSP Citation for Meritorious Achievement, the agency’s highest civilian award
bestowed upon those who performed an extraordinary act of service or heroism in
direct support of an officer of the agency engaged in the official performance of
duty.


Motivated by the tragic shooting of Trooper Cameron Ponder in 2015, Lyon County
Judge Executive Wade White did not hesitate to activate the One Call System in Lyon
County and personally went to work to provide food and a secure place for the many
exhausted Troopers and other first responders. Judge White rose to the task. He
tirelessly began efforts to share respect for Troopers and, when disappointed by
learning the salary standards, he began a campaign to draw attention to the
financial plight of KSP and corrections officers. He coined and spread the motto,
“Stand up for those who stand up for us.” He took on a mission of support for the
State Police. He has not wavered from seeking ways to raise the awareness of how
selflessly Troopers in KSP conduct themselves while still finding time to carry
forth widespread benefits for our citizens.





For a listing of all the individuals and officers who received awards, visit
http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/2016/pr06_17_16.html
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PHOTO 1 CAPTION: (left to right) Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard W.
Sanders joined Gov. Matt Bevin as he presented the Governor’s Medal of Valor to
Brenda Tiffany, the mother of the late Tpr. Cameron Ponder, his fiancée, Chrystal
Coleman, and his father, Joe Ponder at a ceremony held in Lexington on June 17.


PHOTO 2 CAPTION: KSP’s Detective of the Year for 2015 John Sims (Center), Kentucky
State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders (left), Gov. Matt Bevin (Right)


PHOTO 3 CAPTION: KSP Post 1 Trooper of the Year for 2015 TFC T.J. Williams (Center),
Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders (left), Gov. Matt Bevin
(Right)

PHOTO 4 CAPTION: Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders (Left) joined
Gov. Matt Bevin (Right) as he presented Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White
(Center) with the KSP Citation for Meritorious Achievement at an awards ceremony on
June 17, 2016 in Lexington, KY.