Baton Rouge – Thirteen police officers from the State of Louisiana received the prestigious Fricke Cooper Achievement Award from the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies Center for Public Safety.
The award was presented on November 9, 2023, at the Louisiana State Police Training Academy Auditorium in Baton Rouge.
By successfully completing the center’s entire sequence of traffic crash investigation and reconstruction programs (Traffic Crash Investigation 1, Traffic Crash Investigation 2, Vehicle Dynamics, Traffic Crash Reconstruction 1, Traffic Crash Reconstruction 2, and numerous advanced elective traffic safety programs), the officers have demonstrated a commitment to delivering the best, most professional traffic crash investigation service to his community.
The recipients of the award include:
- Detective Loy Berre, Shreveport Police Department
- Lieutenant Kevin M. Curlee, Louisiana State Police Troop B
- Sergeant Lance A. Lavigne, Louisiana State Police Troop B
- Sergeant Jonathan Luke Leger, Louisiana State Police Troop D
- Sergeant David A. Levy, Louisiana State Police Troop L
- Sergeant Kathryn H. Slaughter, Louisiana State Police Troop A
- Sergeant Trey Elliott, Louisiana State Police Troop B
- Sergeant Joshua Duhon, Louisiana State Police Troop D
- Sergeant Brian T. Melvin, Louisiana State Police Troop B
- Sergeant David Louis Spera, Jr., Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
- Trooper First Class Trey L. McNeal, Louisiana State Police Troop E
- Sergeant Ronald D. Bodenheimer, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
- Master Trooper Nathaniel L. Westphal, Louisiana State Police Troop B
The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety was established in 1936 to expand the scope of university-level education in traffic safety. Since that time, the center has broadened its offerings to also include police operations and management.
Law enforcement agencies and collision investigation professionals have come to depend on the center for university-level research programs, technical assistance, and conferences on crucial and timely issues. Northwestern University Center for Public Safety has taught nearly a quarter of a million professionals in law enforcement in related fields from all fifty states and thirty-eight foreign countries.
The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety partners with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Traffic Records Coordinating Committee, Department of Transportation and Development, and Louisiana State Police to offer these critical police officer training courses.
