Kenneth R. Hall, TFC Died: Thursday, September 2, 2010 On Thursday, September 02, 2010 shortly after 4 p.m., TFC Kenneth R. Hall of the CSP Traffic Services Unit, while completing enforcement action paperwork in his police cruiser off the shoulder of I-91 northbound between exits 48 and 49 in the town of Enfield, CT, was struck from behind by a pickup truck travelling at a high rate of speed. Hall was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he later died.  Damage to the police cruiser was “beyond belief.”     TFC Hall entered the Academy in April 1988 and was first assigned to Troop L.  He later served at Troop D, Troop E and finally at the CSP Traffic Unit since 1993, where he specialized in commercial enforcement.
	Phillip A. Mingione, Auxiliary Trooper Died: Wednesday, May 25, 1994 On May 25, 1994, Auxiliary Trooper Phillip A. Mingione of Milford was struck and killed on I-91 in the town of North Haven.  Auxiliary Mingione had stopped and was standing outside his vehicle when a passing motorist lost control of her car and struck Auxiliary Mingione.
	Edward W. Truelove, Auxiliary Trooper Died: Friday, November 13, 1992 On November 13, 1992, Auxiliary Trooper Edward W. Truelove stopped for a disabled motorist in the truck climbing lane of I-84 in Cheshire.  After directing the driver and passenger to safety on the far side of the guardrail, Auxiliary Truelove radioed for a tow truck and attempted to safeguard the scene with his strobe lights. Several minutes later an interstate truck driver drove into the rear end of the cruiser and Auxiliary Truelove was killed in the crash.  If not for his concern about the occupants of the broken down car and his orders to move off the roadway, they too might have died.
	Russell Bagshaw, Trooper Died: Wednesday, June 5, 1991 At about 3:00 a.m. on June 5, 1991, Trooper Russell Bagshaw, age 28, of Columbia was executed in an ambush style shooting after he stopped at a North Windham gun shop to check the building.  A four-year veteran assigned to Troop K, Trooper Bagshaw interrupted a burglary at the store and died of multiple gunshot wounds before he could use the radio or exit his cruiser.  A firefighter driving by the gun shop minutes afterwards saw the cruiser with its strobe lights on and stopped at the pay phone to call the store owner. The store owner joined the fireman at the gun shop and as they both approached the cruiser, they found Trooper Bagshaw slumped over the wheel.  The firefighter then used Trooper Bagshaw’s portable radio and began calling:  “Officer down!  Officer Down!”  Several minutes later, other troopers arrived. Less than 48 hours after the shooting on June 7, 1991, Duane and Terry Johnson were arrested for the most cold-blooded violence ever leveled at a Connecticut State Trooper.
	Jorge Agosto, Trooper Died: Wednesday, November 22, 1989 On November 22, 1989, Trooper Jorge Agosto, age 27, of Litchfield was struck and killed on I-95 in Greenwich.  Trooper Agosto was a two-year veteran assigned to Troop L, but was working with the Traffic Squad on I-95 because of the Thanksgiving holiday traffic.  Trooper Agosto had pulled his car behind another trooper’s to assist him with a motor vehicle stop and was walking on the shoulder of the road when he was struck from behind by a car that veered off the road for no apparent reason.  Trooper Agosto’s death demonstrated again the vulnerability of all troopers on the highway. The operator of the car had a diabetic condition and, shortly after the accident, was found to be suffering from hypoglycemia, a condition brought on by low blood sugar.  The condition is known to cause dizziness, confusion, and blackouts.
	James Savage, Trooper Died: Wednesday, January 22, 1986 Trooper James Savage, age 42, was struck and killed by a motorist on Route 8 in Watertown on January 22, 1986.  Trooper Savage had finished his work day with the Traffic Squad and was traveling home on Route 8 when he stopped for a motorist.  As Savage was approaching the car, a salesman driving on Route 8 looked over some paperwork on the front seat of his car.  His car drifted towards the shoulder as the car entered a slight curve in the road.  Trooper Savage was struck from behind and died at the scene. Many tried to guess why Trooper Savage, after years in the Traffic Squad, would take the time to stop yet another motorist while on general patrol.  Quite simply, he was doing his job.  Trooper Savage entered into the Academy in February 1968 and was first assigned to Troop L.  He was transferred to Troop H in December 1971 and had more than his share of experiences on the interstate when he was transferred to the Radar Squad.  His career revolved around traffic enforcement, and he was never complacent in his responsibilities, even if it meant making one last stop 15 minutes from home.
	Thomas F. Carney, Lieutenant Died: Monday, December 6, 1982 On December 6, 1982, Lt. Thomas F. Carney, age 40, was struck and killed while stopped with a motorist on I-84 in Southbury.  Lt. Carney was on his way from his home in Newtown to Troop L on general patrol and was standing on the shoulder of the highway when he was struck by the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer semi-truck.  What made his death all the more tragic was that there was a widespread belief that Lt. Carney was struck and killed by a trucker who was attempting to “dust him.”  “Dusting” is a practice in which truckers come as close to a trooper on the edge of the road as they can, and then hope the huge gust of wind kicked up by the truck will knock the trooper’s hat off. Lt. Carney entered the Academy in October 1965 and was first assigned to Troop G.  He was promoted to Detective in December 1971.  In July of 1972 he was made Corporal and sixteen months later he was promoted to Sergeant.  He was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1980 and named the Commanding Officer of Troop L.
	Carl P Moller., Trooper Died: Friday, February 13, 1976 Trooper Carl P. Moller, age 31 of Bristol, stopped to assist a motorist on I-84 in West Hartford on February 13, 1976. While on the roadway, he and the motorist were struck and killed by a truck.  The truck driver left both men on the highway and fled the scene.  He drove into downtown Hartford and told a Hartford police officer that was directing traffic that he thought he “hit something in the road and I want to report it.”  He was arrested and charged with two counts of negligent homicide.     Moller was assigned to Hartford following his graduation from the Academy in February 1970 and spent his entire career at Troop H.  The mention of his name around the Department immediately brought to mind the fact that he was a canine handler.  Moller and his dog Thor exemplified the bond that exists between troopers and their animals.  Trooper Moller died while he was performing a duty that every trooper could relate to.
	Joseph M. Stoba, Jr., Trooper Died: Monday, August 6, 1962 On August 6, 1962, Trooper Joseph M. Stoba, Jr., age 34 of Meriden, was shot to death during a domestic dispute.  Stoba was hit once in the left side of the chest while standing on a porch.  He died at the scene. Trooper Stoba was working evenings at Troop K and was assigned to transport a prison trustee back to the state jail in Haddam.  As he and the prisoner drove towards the jail, Stoba was directed to a domestic at the Czaja home in Portland.  Stanley J. Czaja had a history of drunken domestic incidents and was well known at Troop K. Trooper Stoba and Czaja spoke on the porch of the Czaja home and both agreed Czaja should go with Stoba to sober up.  Trooper Stoba let Czaja go back into the house for a sweater but when Czaja came out, he was armed with a rifle.  Before Stoba could react, Czaja shot him.
	James W. Lambert, Trooper Died: Saturday, October 29, 1960 Trooper James W. Lambert, age 26, was struck by a drunk driver in Bethel on October 29, 1960.  His career had spanned only seven months.  He entered the training school in March 1960 and was assigned to field training stints at Troops L, I and A between April and June.  His life career was cut short, but his brief presence with the Department left its mark.  The Trooper James W. Lambert Award is given annually to a young adult under 21 years of age that demonstrates exceptional courage in the saving of the life of another during the year.
	Ernest J. Morse, Trooper Died: Friday, February 13, 1953 At about 9:00 p.m. on the evening of February 13, 1953, Ernest J. Morse, age 31 of New Haven, was on patrol on the Wilbur Cross Parkway when he spotted a car reported stolen in Brookline, Massachusetts.  Morse pursued the car on the Merritt Parkway to Trumbull before he was able to stop the vehicle near Route 8.  as he approached the car, John Donahue, age 20 of Arlington, MA, fired a shot and struck Morse in the abdomen.  Several minutes later, a carload of sailors from the Groton submarine base found Morse lying near his car and still conscious.  Morse whispered portions of a license plate number to the sailors and directed them to use his radio to call for help.  An ambulance and other State Police came to his aid, but Morse died less than an hour later at Bridgeport City Hospital.
	Frank A. Starkel, Lieutenant Died: Monday, July 19, 1948 On July 19, 1948, Lt. Frank A. Starkel died at Hartford Hospital approximately two hours after being struck by a large rock fragment that was blown, more than half a mile by an explosion at the Newington Quarry.  Commissioner Hickey joined the Starkel family at his bedside and was with the Lieutenant when he died.
	Kenneth W. Stevens, Lieutenant Died: Tuesday, June 6, 1944 Lt. Kenneth W. Stevens died on June 6, 1944 while patrolling the Connecticut River.  Lieutenant Stevens of Chester was the commanding officer of the Groton station and worked with the Navy to keep the military installations secure.  Stevens was on the Connecticut River in a State Police boat at about 6:00 p.m. when the boat struck an obscure pile from an old pier.  He and four other officers were thrown into the river.  As the five men swam towards shore, the other four men reported they saw Stevens’ body go rigid and start to float away on the surface.  Stevens was pulled from the water and, following an autopsy, the medical examiner concluded that he had suffered a massive heart attack.
	Edward P. Jesmonth, Trooper Died: Tuesday, July 20, 1943 On July 20, 1943, Edward P. Jesmonth of Hartford was killed when his cruiser skidded on a rain-soaked highway and struck a tree.  Jesmonth was assigned to the “emergency service” in Colchester and was responding to a fire at a marina in Portland when the accident occurred.  He had been appointed in August 1941 and was assigned to the “emergency service” after his “exceptional and highly efficient response to the emergencies created by the Hartford Bridge disaster.”  Jesmonth and Hubert Spencer dove with Navy divers to recover the victims in the collapse and helped remove 350 tons of twisted steel from the river.
	Charles F. Hill, Sergeant Died: Thursday, November 6, 1941 Sergeant Charles F. Hill of West Hartford was struck and killed by a hit-and-run motorist while he was directing traffic in North Canaan on November 6, 1941.  Sgt. Hill was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1904 and joined the State Police in 1929.  He served in Groton, Stafford Springs, and Canaan and became a sergeant in 1939.  Sgt. Hill “was very well known throughout the State and was popular with the public and with members of the State Police Department.”  A fitting tribute to any police officer.
	Leonard H. Watson, Trooper Died: Saturday, October 22, 1932 Trooper Leonard H. Watson of East Canaan was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident on October 22, 1932.
	Stanley H. Hellberg, Trooper Died: Saturday, June 1, 1929 Trooper Stanley H. Hellberg of New Britain was fatally injured in a motorcycle fall on June 1, 1929.
	Lloyd J. Eukers, Trooper Died: Saturday, July 21, 1928 Trooper Lloyd J. Eukers of Hartford was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident on July 21, 1928.
	Irving H. Nelson, Trooper Died: Friday, April 6, 1928 Irving H. Nelson of New Haven was fatally shot in Pomfret on April 6, 1928.  A call made to Station No. 5 in Danielson at about 6:50 p.m. from the Willimantic Police reported two men in a Willys-Knight sedan wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Nelson was in the barracks when the call was received and he was assigned to “go north to Putnam” on his motorcycle.  Nelson located the car and, while in pursuit, six shots were fired at him with two bullets hitting him.  He slowed the vehicle down, stopped in a driveway, collapsed and died.
	Bartholomew M. Skelly, Trooper Died: Saturday, November 14, 1925 Trooper Bartholomew M. Skelly of Naugatuck was fatally injured in a motorcycle fall on November 14, 1925.
	Pearle E. Roberts, Trooper Died: Saturday, November 25, 1922 Trooper Pearle E. Roberts of Norwich was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident on November 25, 1922.  Roberts was returning from duty at the Yale-Harvard game in New Haven when the front wheel of his motorcycle caught the groove of a trolley track on Whitney Avenue in Mount Carmel.  He was thrown head first over the handlebars and the motorcycle landed on him.  Roberts fractured his head on the curb and died shortly thereafter.