Star Staff Reports
Patrolman Gregory Stratman was honored recently as the 2022 Patrol Deputy of the Year.
Chief Deputy Claude Robinson, Assistant Chief Deputies, Newt Schaeffer, Jason Pagenkopf, Derek Mills, and Anthony Buckner, along with Chief Inspector David Boddie, Lt. Brad Less, Sgt. William Dotson, and Sgt. Herbert Mhoon, recognized Patrolman Gregory Stratman during a ceremony held Jan. 24 at the SCSO Training Academy.
The citation reads as follows:
Deputy Stratman is a proactive deputy who works diligently to make the streets of Shelby County a safer place. Throughout 2022, he made numerous drug and gun arrests. In May 2022, he was nominated and selected as the Deputy of the Month for his excellent work in district 6. During that month, he had a traffic stop that resulted in 2 felony arrest for guns and drugs. He was able to look beyond the stop and recover a “GHOST” gun leading to the case being accepted by the ATF for federal prosecution.
While Deputy Stratman has made numerous felony arrests, answered hundreds of calls for service, and conducted too many neighborhood patrols to count, his life-saving efforts are what stand out to the command staff the most. In 2022, there are three documented situations where his actions directly impacted and saved the life of citizens in Shelby County. On July 4, 2022, Stratman provided emergency medical aid on a subject with multiple gunshot wounds. He was able to keep his composure and provide lifesaving aid on an extremely difficult and active scene. In September, he and other deputies responded to a critical mental consumer call at the Loosahatchie River. He worked extremely well with his north end district partners, traversed rugged terrain and rescued a citizen from harming herself after other rescue options were taking too much time. Finally, in October, Deputy Stratman responded to a devastating and fatal animal attack scene. Deputy Stratman quickly triaged the situation and determined a tourniquet was needed as a life saving measure for a citizen on the scene. Information was received later that the application of the tourniquet was indeed the right call and helped save the victim’s life. Deputy Stratman also displayed compassion and support for family members on the scene.
Deputy Stratman should be commended for his consistent proactive police work and his remarkable life-saving efforts.
