The Texas Public Safety Commission (PSC) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw presented two Lifesaving Awards and one Director’s Award to DPS employees and one civilian for their outstanding service.
“Today we honor these award recipients and thank them for their continued service to the state of Texas,” said Director McCraw. “In the face of harrowing circumstances, these individuals fearlessly answered the call of duty to help their fellow Texans, and we are grateful for their courageous actions – which absolutely saved lives.”
The following awards were presented today:
- Trooper William Grauzer, Highway Patrol in Corsicana, received a Lifesaving Award for his actions during a life-threatening incident on Aug. 29, 2015. While on duty, Grauzer responded to a Corsicana house fire and was summoned to assist an injured man at the scene. The man had suffered a deep cut to his right arm, and Grauzer applied a tourniquet to the injury to help control the bleeding. Grauzer then continued to monitor the man’s condition until paramedics arrived. The man was flown to a Dallas hospital for emergency surgery.
- Trooper Katrina Jones, Highway Patrol in Lubbock, received the Lifesaving Award for her assistance during a life-threatening situation at a Lubbock school. On Sept. 18, 2014, Jones was visiting the Preston Smith Elementary School during lunch when she noticed several children motioning to a student who was choking. Jones then approached the boy and ultimately helped dislodge the item from his airway so that he was able to breath on his own.
- Tom Clutts received the Director’s Award for his support during a life-threatening situation. On Sept. 24, 2015, a DPS employee learned that her son – who had recently returned from military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan – was feeling alarmingly distressed. She then contacted her co-workers and was put in contact with Clutts, a veteran who operates an organization that assists individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Clutts immediately reached out to help counsel the son.
In addition to the awards above, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) recognized two DPS employees during the annual Texas Heroes for Children Gala in September. DPS Criminal Investigations Division Special Agent Ryan Kindell was named the 2015 NCMEC Hero for his investigative work that ultimately lead to locating a missing Dallas juvenile and the arrests of two suspects for sexual assault and compelling prostitution. Trooper Bradley Vick was also honored as the runner-up for the Hero award for rescuing three missing juveniles during a traffic stop.
Also, the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications (TASSCC) recognized DPS Licensing Services Applications Manager John Crawford with the TASSCC Excellence Award for his work on the single-sticker for vehicle inspection/registration project.
