The members of the,Colorado State Patrol work hard to serve and protect the citizens of Colorado every day. Each year, the Colorado State Patrol acknowledges some of these individuals and their efforts. Through a peer nomination process, the following members are recognized for demonstrating outstanding work performance, initiative, leadership, character, integrity, and whose actions or performance significantly exceeded expectations as they exemplified the State Patrol\'s Core Values of Honor, Duty, and Respect.
To view photos of the 2018,CSP Annual Awards Ceremony,,click here.
Master Trooper Amy Engleman
2018,Trooper of the Year
Master Trooper Amy Engleman,has been serving the citizens of Colorado at exceptional levels for over 20 years. ,While stationed in the Gunnison area for the duration of her career, she has found ways to reach each corner of our state always representing our organization and profession at the highest levels. ,The Colorado State Patrol reaps the benefit of her unwavering willingness to give her time and effort to not only bettering our organization but our profession as a whole through her leadership within the Women’s Resource Network, the Youth Academy and several other community-based initiatives fostering a safer Colorado community. ,In 2018, she was instrumental in ensuring appropriate recognition for one of our fallen Troopers while supporting the involved family at the highest of levels. In her role today as one of our agency’s full-time recruiters she works tirelessly to bring the best and brightest to our ranks with great success.
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Communication Supervisor Gu Kim
2018 Supervisor,of the Year
Gu Kim is an exceptional example of a leader. ,His dedication to service is evident each and every day. He is highly appreciated by his peers and subordinates because he promotes dependability. ,,He is not afraid to lead during difficult times and his leadership shines during critical incidents, and he has been at the helm in his center for multiple line of duty deaths within CSP and with partner agencies. ,His guidance, knowledge, and leadership, allowed the Denver Regional Communications Center assist our partnering agencies and fellow co-workers to work through multiple tragic incidents. One of his strengths is his use of candor and effective communication with his peers and co-workers. ,He has done an incredible job creating personal and professional relationships earning respect for all those around him. He consistently demonstrates a wealth of job knowledge and proficiency, especially when tasked with extra job duties as he is often innovative and focuses on efficiency. ,He is a resource and role model to his fellow Communication Supervisors, his team, and everyone in the Colorado State Patrol. ,
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POE Officer Dwaine Curtis
2018 Supervisor,of the Year
Dwaine Curtis is dedicated to keeping Colorado roadways safe. In 2018, this port officer led the Port of Entry in the detection of impaired commercial motor vehicle drivers. ,Impaired driving remains one of the top causal factors of fatal crashes, and when the driver is operating a large commercial motor vehicle, the chances of a tragedy affecting more than just the driver are greatly increased. He had the highest DUI enforcement rate, detecting six drivers who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He works very well with his team, local troopers, and officers from other departments, always interested in participating in joint efforts to further the mission of the Colorado State Patrol. ,Although he is always on the lookout for an impaired driver, he is customer service oriented and often receives compliments from drivers on his ability to educate them on requirements, standards, and safety. His patience and professional attitude have earned him respect and appreciation from peers and the public. He is always focused on what matters most and his efforts have undoubtedly saved lives.
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Michaela Smith
2018 Communication Officer of the Year
Michaela Smith is a true leader as she is often observed assisting in the professional development of individuals and ensuring the achievement of the Colorado State Patrol mission. As a day shift team lead, she is responsible for many tasks, but she specifically teaches emergency medical dispatch (EMD) to new dispatchers. Over the past year, utilizing process improvement principles, she developed a new EMD grading system to review dispatcher skills and effectiveness. This system is now being used by communications centers across the state. This improvement also made it easier for the individual being evaluated to understand their evaluation and areas for improvement. ,Another aspect of her job is to assist supervisors with retrieving tape recordings for the District Attorney. Within the past two years, these requests have substantially increased across the state. She took it upon herself to work diligently over a two-week period of time to get the Craig Communications Center up to date with requests. Not only is she a hard worker, but she is an excellent dispatcher. Troopers and officers often comment on her efficiency, kindness, and clear confident voice on the other end of high-stress calls. She is an excellent role model for her peers and an up and coming leader within our organization.
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Hilary Schwindt
2018 Professional Staff Member of the Year
This year’s recipient of the Professional Staff Member of the Year award is always taking the lead to ensure her unit is achieving its mission. Simply put, her efforts exemplify the agency\'s Core Values of Honor, Duty, and Respect. She expertly leverages the strengths of those around her to lead her unit to success. ,Her unit is responsible for the timely delivery of agency information, records, and digital media requests. In 2018, she led the agency’s efforts in scheduling and reviewing 1.5 million pages of digitized troop records. Over the course of the year, she developed and implemented a technological solution to advise executive command staff of pending CORA requests and recently, has taken on the role of acting Central Records Supervisor. ,,She expertly balances the on-going management of the unit’s day to day operations, fulfills CORA requests, responds to subpoenas for agency documents, and leads her team with a positive attitude and professionalism.