INDIANAPOLIS – During a recent Indiana State Police Awards Ceremony, Trooper James “Jimmy” Williams was recognized by Superintendent Doug Carter as the 2022 Trooper of the Year for the Indianapolis District.
In his nomination letter, Indiana State Police Indianapolis District Lieutenant Josh Watson wrote:
Trooper James (Jimmy) Williams is a four-year veteran of the Indiana State Police and embodies the mission and core values of our organization. He takes pride in the trust the State of Indiana has bestowed upon him and is intentional about responsible stewardship of that trust. He can always be found with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. In a profession based on service to others, Jimmy’s servant’s heart shines through as an example for others to follow. He habitually puts the needs of the community we serve and his shift partners above those of his own; this commitment to duty is reflected in his work product. Throughout the duration of his shift, Jimmy can be heard actively engaged in calls, as either the primary or responding as secondary to help out his shift partners. Regardless of the call type he gives the task at hand his full attention and conducts himself in a manner that lets everyone on the scene know they are important; no matter if he is changing a tire for a stranded motorist or working one of our interstate shootings, we get Jimmy’s best every time.
Trooper Williams’ commitment doesn’t end there, however, he is one of our best FTOs (Field Training Officer) and is frequently used to train multiple new troopers out of the same class. He approaches this with the same smile and commitment to duty as he does every other task, he is patient and perceptive, focused on the needs of the PO, and intent on providing all he can to ensure their success.
He understands the importance of our recruiting initiative and has embraced his role in the process. There is seldom a week that goes by when he doesn’t have a ride-along or an intern with him. He represents ISP in a professional and favorable manner and is always willing to do his part to contribute to the future of our department. He is also active with Recruiting and PIO programs, helping out when he can with our district’s many PIO/Recruiting opportunities.
Jimmy’s quality of work and job knowledge is well beyond that of a four-year Trooper, his Sergeant states his reports are always complete and error free, and he rarely needs any help with procedural issues. This is remarkable for a trooper who in one year responded to 1478 calls for service and was the primary on 1164 of those calls. He initiated 583 traffic stops and responded to 304 crashes of which he was the primary on 198 of them, yielding a combined 1061 contacts, and completed 149 incident reports.
Jimmy is a great example of what an Indiana State Trooper should be, he is service-oriented, cares for others, and possesses an eagerness to help. He has a strong sense of responsibility and duty to his community and shifts partners; he is hard-working, attentive, and possesses superior job knowledge for his tenure. Despite working the busiest shift, he still takes advantage of his discretionary time to focus on proactive police work both on the interstates and in the city. He is treasured at Indianapolis, my hope is his time spent as an FTO, with interns and conducting ride-along will inspire others to be like him.
