Troop D’s Morris named National Trooper of Year during Seattle ceremony
Arkansas State Trooper Spencer Morris has been selected National Trooper of the Year by the leadership of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, State and Provincial Division.
The prestigious award was presented Thursday night during a ceremony at Seattle, Wash., before an audience of law enforcement officers from across the nation.
Morris, 34, of Crittenden County, is a graduate of the 2018 Arkansas State Police Training Academy and was among a group of four regional state trooper finalists who collectively comprise the epitome of preeminence among law enforcement officers across the nation, according to a State Police press release.
Morris is assigned to the Highway Patrol Division, Troop D, headquartered at Forrest City.
Morris was recognized for his heroic actions of Dec. 16, 2021, during an attempted traffic stop that ended in Memphis.
While working his assigned interstate patrol duties, Morris answered the radio call from the U.S. Marshals Service requesting assistance in the apprehension of a wanted fugitive from South Carolina believed to be armed and considered dangerous who was traveling through West Memphis along Interstate 55 headed toward Memphis. Morris was the closest law enforcement officer in the area who would have been able to intercept the vehicle.
About 2:30 p.m., Morris observed the suspect’s vehicle and began to position his patrol car for the traffic stop. As he closed in on the car, multiple gunshots from the suspect’s vehicle were directed at Morris with one round striking him in the upper chest. Morris’ body armor slowed the round, causing a minor wound.
Despite the injury and the imminent deadly threat to himself and other motorists traveling into Memphis, Morris began to return gunfire directed at the fleeing suspect.
As the pursuit approached the I-55 McLemore interchange, the suspect’s vehicle slowed and came to a stop, the wounded trooper radioed his location and requested assistance. Morris moved his patrol car to the roadside and at a safe distance exited his vehicle to take up a defensive position, State Police said in the press release.
Local police officers soon joined Morris, along with paramedics, who extracted him from the scene, moving the wounded trooper to a nearby hospital where doctors
(Continued from Page 1) determined the wound was nonlife threatening.
With traffic diverted from the interstate, a SWAT team moved toward the suspect’s vehicle to find the wanted fugitive and another occupant still in the car, both deceased.
“Later, the same day, Morris was released from the hospital, and taken to his home where family surrounded the trooper; all thankful to be reunited,” State Police said.
In his comments to the Seattle audience, Col. Bill Bryant, director of the Arkansas State Police, said, “Arkansas State Troopers patrol more than 16,000 miles of state highways every day, and along the way, they stop to serve the citizens, whether it’s to help change a flat tire, or just take a minute to listen to someone’s concerns or troubles.”
“These men and women we know as Arkansas State Troopers are part of the fabric that hold local communities together,” Bryant said. “They are among the best trained law enforcement officers in the country, dedicated and always ready to serve.”
Bryant continued, “Trooper Spencer Morris is just one example of more than 500 other Arkansas State Troopers, just like him, who set aside awesome risks to themselves each day to make their state a safer and better place to call home.”
Morris returned to active duty and continues patrolling the Arkansas highways, in and around, Crittenden County.
It was 25 years ago when an Arkansas State Trooper was last selected by IACP as National Trooper of the Year.