Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers are garnering recognition after taking home top honors at a national public safety education competition. The Uniformed Safety Education Officers Workshop (USEOW) held in Kansas City, Missouri, crowned three DPS Safety Education Service Sergeants with awards for their excellence in public safety presentations.
Last month's workshop brought together state police officers from across the country to not only compete but to also share insights and to collaboratively learn better ways to keep their communities safe. The winners from the Lone Star State included Sergeants Kyle Bradford and Ethan Sartor from the North Texas Region, who both nabbed first place in their divisions for traffic and public safety categories. Additionally, Sergeant Guadalupe Casarez from the South Texas Region secured first place for his televised public service announcement (PSA) on the Move Over Law and third place for his radio PSA addressing Fentanyl Awareness, according to DPS's announcement.
"Our goal is to equip our Troopers with the training they need in order to communicate clearly and concisely on a variety of issues that affect everyone's public safety," DPS Director Steven McCraw stated.
As part of their duties, DPS Safety Education Service Lieutenants and Sergeants are key in educating the public about safety. They offer presentations tailored to schools and community organizations covering a broad spectrum of issues—from drug use prevention to traffic safety, underage drinking, and child passenger safety. Interested parties looking to request a speaking engagement with a DPS officer can find the necessary information on the DPS website. Also available on the site are competition photos and Sgt. Casarez's winning TV PSA campaign video for wider public viewing.
