Tennessee Highway Safety Office Lifesavers Director s Awards Winners September 9, 2016 Joe Sutton Governor s Highway Safety Office (Retired) Joe Sutton is the longest-serving member of Tennessee s Governor s Highway Safety Office (GHSO). Mr. Sutton was originally born and raised in Giles County and moved to Nashville after graduating from high school. His highway safety career began with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in 1977 as an Engineering Aid for approximately six years. GHSO had just moved to TDOT from the State Capitol, where it had been previously known as the Office of Urban Planning and Development. The office itself resided on the sixth floor of the James K. Polk Building in 1983, where it remained until approximately 2001. Joe Sutton and the director, Mike Ellis, were the only two staff members at that time. GHSO managed approximately 20 grants during this period. The first GHSO secretary was hired in 1984, and the next staff member was hired in 1985. Mr. Sutton earned various titles during his career at GHSO: Transportation Planner I, II, IV, and finally a Transportation Specialist. As a program manager, his primary areas of focus were police traffic services, occupant protection, pupil transportation (school buses) and alcohol countermeasures as a minor role. GHSO also had a small motorcycle safety program. Mr. Sutton retired in 2005 with 22 years of experience at GHSO and a total of 29 years, two months with TDOT. During his tenure, he received numerous awards from various agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Davidson County Sheriff s Office, THSO s Law Enforcement Liaison Program, and TDOT who honored him with an Award of Excellence signed by Commissioner Bruce Saltsman. Mr. Sutton has three daughters: Jacqueline, Sharon, and Alfred. All three reside in the Nashville area. He also has one grandchild.
Larissa Thompson Collegiate Life Investment Foundation Larissa Thompson is the founder of a non-profit, districted driving awareness program based in Memphis, Tenn. The foundation was established in memory of 23-year-old college graduate, Glifton B. Gibbs, who was killed by a driver texting behind the wheel. Ms. Thompson has impacted hundreds of students across the state. Her foundation encourages academic excellence, community involvement, and a sincere life-long commitment to refrain from any use of mobile phones while driving. She also established a scholarship fund to provide students financial assistance and the unique opportunity to attend traffic safety conferences across the United states. This individual was nominated by Ms. Essence Threkeld. Lieutenant Marty Pollock Tennessee Highway Patrol Lieutenant Marty Pollock helped lead the department in transitioning from paper-based citations to electronic citations, which will impact 85 counties by year end. He also helped lead the department with advancing their mobile office environment to improve efficiency. He has dedicated the past decade of his career to improving Tennessee s traffic records program. This individual was nominated by Mr. Chris Osbourne. David Cole Dickson Police Department In 2015, David Cole instituted a seat-belt selfie social media initiative in coordination with THSO s SAFE campaign. It went viral across the state, reaching more than 80,000 people. His innovative efforts reminded Tennesseans that while it s the law, seat belts also save lives. This individual was nominated by Middle Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison Tony Burnett.
Captain Steve Spence Rutherford County Sheriff s Office Captain Steve Spence is responsible for the Middle Tennessee Highway Safety Office seat belt convincer. He is a major seatbelt safety advocate in his county and attends numerous community events. He also coordinates the SAFE campaign for his agency by conducting the pre- and postsurveys, as well as the Tennessee Highway Safety Office grants. He also coordinated a DUI checkpoint in memory of a Boy Scout who was killed by an impaired driver while changing his mother s tire on Interstate 24. During his SAFE campaign checkpoint held in May 2016, 185 drivers were checked, and only one driver was identified not wearing a seatbelt. Numerous lives may have been saved due to Captain Spence s concentrated efforts in highway safety and his advocacy for seatbelt usage. This individual was nominated by Major Egon Grissom. Giles County Primary Prevention Initiative Team This group of individuals worked to bring together more than 15 groups of people to raise awareness to the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. They reached hundreds of students at local schools by showcasing the dangers of distracted and impaired driving through presentations and a mock crash. This mock crash included members of the student council and covered the time of the crash until extrication. From first responders to the medical examiner, all aspects were treated as if the disaster was a real-life event. This group was nominated by Giles County Health Department Director, Janet McAlister. J.T. Pancho Chumley Tipton County Sheriff s Office Sheriff J.T. Pancho Chumley worked tirelessly to decrease traffic-related fatalities in Tipton County. He developed an operating system that utilizes crash, crime, demographic, and other data to identify trends and problem areas. This led to a 200% reduction in traffic-related fatalities from 2013 to 2015. This individual was nominated by Staff Sergeant Sean Cullen.
Don Lindsey American Automobile Association (Retired) Don Lindsey has been the Tennessee Highway Safety Office s voice for legislation in regards to child passenger safety and teen driver safety issues. His many years of testimony at the legislature ensured that the helmet law was not repealed and that children remained protected under requirements for use of car seats and booster seats. He also worked to ensure senior driver safety in aspects of mobility and transportation. Mr. Lindsey is responsible for bringing the Senior Driver Safety Summit to Tennessee in 2014, and he worked extensively to ensure implementation of the CarFit initiative. His diligence, dedication, support and resources significantly improved efforts to decrease risks of roadway injuries and fatalities. This individual was nominated by THSO Program Manager Rose Boyd. Loudon County Sheriff s Office The Loudon County Sheriff s Office makes community involvement a top priority. Through their use of social media and community presence, this office created a strong connection with the public to promote education, traffic safety and enforcement. They utilize a communityfavorite HumVee to distribute educational materials related to local issues like impaired driving, child passenger safety and seat belt usage. They developed a partnership with Chick-Fil-A to offer coupons to drivers wearing seatbelts during safety campaigns. They also partnered with the local health department to increase involvement in their local Hispanic community and provide education on child seats, assuring their children are safe and protected. They also teach impaired driving awareness, which is a major concern within this Hispanic population. This office also maintains active relationships with local schools. The Loudon County Sheriff s Office was nominated by East Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison Steve Dillard.
Mike Dunavant 25 th Judicial District Mike Dunavant has been instrumental in aggressively supporting highway traffic prosecutions throughout his district. He conducts annual instruction to West Tennessee law enforcement agencies. He has coordinated No Refusal DUI efforts requiring the collaboration of local law enforcement, Tennessee Highway Patrol, District Attorney s Office staff, medical personnel and judges throughout his five counties. His efforts helped reduce traffic fatalities from 12 in 2013 to four in 2015. He worked to make positive changes in all facets of highway traffic safety from the support of the victims to the proper arrest and fair prosecution of the offenders. This individual was nominated by Staff Sergeant Sean Cullen. # # #