Effingham, IL –Illinois State Police District 12 announced one of its troopers took top honors at the Uniformed Safety Education Officer Workshop safety conference in Gulfport, Mississippi.   District 12 Trooper Marla Tolliver, who also coordinates the District’s Safety Education Program, took top honors.

The Uniformed Safety Education Officer Workshop (USEOW) is a public safety organization that aims to promote safety awareness through educating the public on various safety issues. The 45^th Annual USEOW welcomed highway patrol and state police agencies from Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

“Protecting property and lives in our communities is a mission that our troopers strive to achieve on a daily basis,” said ISP District 12 Captain Morrison Frasier.  “Trooper Tolliver’s hard work and dedication to educating our communities about the dangers of synthetic compounds and illegal drugs is raising awareness and saving lives,” he stressed.

Trooper Marla Tolliver presented a public safety presentation on Emerging Drug Trends Synthetic Marijuana and Bath Salts, and placed first in the public safety category.  Since 2010, Illinois State Police’s Division of Forensic Services has been researching information about the synthetic cannabinoids and bath salts. 

The agency’s Division of Operations has also disseminated dozens of law enforcement bulletins to law enforcement and health service provider agencies statewide about the access, availability, use, and side effects of these fatal drugs.