ORLANDO, Fla. –The Florida Highway Patrol awarded Trooper Ronald Evans Jr. the Hurd-Smith award for 2011. The award recognizes the trooper who leads FHP in Driving Under the Influence apprehensions for the year. Evans, stationed in Land O’Lakes, made 238 DUI arrests last year.
“Trooper Evans did an outstanding job protecting motorists in Florida from drunk drivers,” said Colonel David Brierton, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “Removing impaired drivers from our roadways will continue to be a priority for our Department, and we are proud to honor him with this well deserved award.”
The Florida Highway Patrol named the Hurd-Smith award, which distinguishes the trooper who makes the most DUI arrests for the year, in honor of two troopers who were killed in the line of duty by drunk drivers. Trooper Kimberly Hurd served the people of Florida for six years. On July 16, 1992, Hurd was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale when a passing van struck and killed her. The intoxicated driver fled the scene, but was later apprehended and convicted. At the time of her death, Hurd was 26 years old. Trooper Robbie Smith served the people of Florida for four years. On July 26, 1997, Smith was in his patrol car in the emergency lane of I-95 in Miami after completing a traffic stop when a drunk driver travelling at an excessive speed struck his car from behind. At the time of his death, he was 34 years old.
The Florida Highway Patrol recognized 10 other troopers from across the state for their efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roadways by making more than 100 DUI arrests in 2010:
Trooper Gabriel “Steven” Keyes, Pensacola District
Trooper Chester T. Everett, Jacksonville District
Trooper Bobby Hartzig, Pinellas Park District
Trooper Deborah Hawkins, Orlando District
Trooper Gregory B. Healy, Jacksonville District
Trooper Corey Lee, Lake Worth District
Trooper Deanna D. Martinez, Lake Worth District
Trooper David Meyer, Brooksville District
Trooper Jose Ramirez, Orlando District
Trooper David “Chris” Roper, Pensacola District
Mothers Against Drunk Driving named Trooper Evans as the MADD Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and honored all 11 troopers recently at a ceremony held in Orlando. The troopers were among law enforcement officers from across the state recognized by MADD for their efforts to detect and apprehend impaired drivers. The Florida Highway Patrol reminds motorists to dial *FHP (*347) on your cell phone to report an impaired driver. Motorists can also request roadside assistance at that number. To learn more about the Florida Highway Patrol, visit www.flhsmv.gov/fhp.