Thirty-eight Vermont State Troopers are being praised for their promotions and efforts to protect public safety.
At a Statehouse ceremony yesterday, eight of them were honored for saving lives in emergencies.
Among those praised was Senior Trooper Hugh B. O’Donnell who stopped a domestic assault in Thetford in June, in which a woman was being attacked with a caustic chemical.
Without backup O’Donnell entered the house and arrested the estranged husband and called an ambulance.
The ceremony also was a time to honor outgoing Public Safety Commissioner Kerry Sleeper for his 30 years of state service.
Sleeper, who retires at the end of this year, says the main challenge for police is the recent rise in drug-related violent crimes.