THP Colonel Mike Walker Honored with National Award
Monday, March 30, 2009 | 10:38am
NASHVILLE --- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker won the organization’s Award of Public Service. The announcement was made this afternoon at the 27th Annual Lifesavers Conference being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
The NHTSA Award for Public Service was handed out to Colonel Walker and 14 other individuals and organizations from across the nation for their achievements in highway safety and their work to reduce traffic deaths and injuries. Colonel Walker was specifically recognized for his leadership in the critical area of statewide traffic records improvement and the implementation of an electronic crash reporting system for Tennessee.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and I share this with the men and women of the Tennessee Highway Patrol who work hard every day to keep residents safe,” said Colonel Walker. “We have made great strides in reducing the number of traffic fatalities on Tennessee roadways, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Traffic fatalities in Tennessee declined last year by 15 percent. In 2007, there were 1,211 traffic fatalities in the state. Preliminary figures indicate that number dropped to 1,027 for 2008.
In 2007, traffic fatalities nationwide declined by 3.9 percent. That is the largest decrease in highway deaths since 1992. In that same year, crash-related injuries dropped to the lowest number since NHTSA began collecting injury data in 1988.
Colonel Walker joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1977, first working as a Road Trooper in Marion County. During his career, he has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout the department. Just prior to his appointment to Colonel in March of 2006, he had served three years as Captain of the Professional Standards Division.
Colonel Walker is a native of Dunlap, Tennessee. His first law enforcement job was as a police officer in Signal Mountain. He attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and completed the Northwestern University Police Administration course. Colonel Walker is married and has seven children.
Pictures from the NHTSA Public Service Award ceremony are attached.
The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.