Photos courtesy/MSP
PAW PAW – Michigan State Police (MSP) Director Col. Joe Gasper has announced that Trooper Conner Mabie, a community service trooper assigned to the MSP Paw Paw Post, was selected as the 2022 Colonel Etue Community Impact Award recipient in recognition of her ingenuity and leadership in engaging with residents in her post area.
Capt. Michael Brown, commander of the Fifth District, presented the award Feb. 8, at a ceremony in East Lansing recognizing Trooper Mabie’s work with the Paw Paw Post’s Migrant Outreach Initiative.
The Migrant Outreach Initiative was created to bridge a gap between police and the migrant farming community. Trooper Mabie and other post personnel established 11 community events last year, which included Migrant Farmer Laundry Days, a summer youth program, and a car seat safety check. In addition to attending some of the events, Trooper Mabie also worked to schedule Spanish-speaking troopers and sergeants to attend the programs.
Trooper Mabie secured a $500 donation to support a laundry day for migrant workers and their families that provided free detergent and laundry services to over 300 migrant families. Starting in June 2022, Trooper Mabie worked with school staff to become involved in a summer youth program for migrant children. Along with two fellow troopers, Trooper Mabie spent Wednesdays at the school interacting with children who may not normally see police officers in a positive light. At the end of the summer, they had developed relationships and become buddies with many of the children in the program.
In August, Trooper Mabie visited Keeler Migrant Head Start to read to and interact with the young students there. Later, she and other post personnel coordinated a car seat safety check event for parents where they were able to correctly install 11 car seats, making the children who ride in these vehicles safer.
The award, which recognizes demonstrated leadership, commitment, and personal involvement in building positive police-community relationships, is named in honor of Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, the 18th Director of the Michigan State Police.