Published on Law Officer (http://www.lawofficer.com)
SARAH GUY, IACP; 10/30/13
Alexandria, VA – The IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club® honored Pennsylvania State Trooper First Class Timothy Strohmeyer at the 120th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and Expo in Philadelphia, PA, on October 21. The IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club® pays tribute to those deserving officers who have avoided serious or potentially fatal injuries through the use of any kind of body armor. On December 21, 2012 Trooper Strohmeyer and another trooper responded to a shooting incident in which a suspect had shot several people. After a brief encounter with the troopers, the suspect driving a pickup truck crashed head-on into one of the patrol vehicles pinning one of the officers in his vehicle and igniting a fire in the engine compartment.
As Trooper Strohmeyer arrived at the scene of the crash, he intentionally crashed his vehicle into the rear of the suspect’s truck to divert the suspect’s attention from the trapped trooper, whereupon the suspect exited the vehicle and fired multiple rounds from a .357 magnum handgun at the officers. Trooper Strohmeyer was struck in the chest and left wrist but was able to return fire, striking the suspect. Fortunately, Trooper Strohmeyer was wearing his body armor and the bullet that struck him in the chest did not perforate his ballistic vest.
“The actions by Trooper Timothy Strohmeyer were truly heroic,” said IACP President Craig T. Steckler. “We are pleased to honor Trooper Strohmeyer for being an example to others for wearing his vest.”
“DuPont is proud to partner with the IACP to promote the wearing of body armor via the IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club®,” said Marcio Manique, Marketing Manager for DuPont Protection Technologies. “We are pleased that Trooper Strohmeyer was not seriously injured and was able to continue to perform his duties as a result of wearing his body armor.”
The IACP partnered with DuPont™ Kevlar® in 1987 to form the Survivors’ Club. The Survivors’ Club was created with the mission of reducing death and disability by encouraging increased wearing of personal body armor and recognizing and honoring those deserving individuals who, as a result of wearing personal body armor, have survived a life-threatening or life-disabling incident.
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