By Carrie J. Sidener

Published: March 21, 2008

A bronzed figure stands in the classic hands-clasped-behind-the-back pose of the stoic trooper.

It is the emblem atop the trophy recognizing Trooper Connie Maddox for her work in promoting highway safety in Virginia. Maddox is the only woman from the Virginia State Police’s 15-county 3rd Division to have received the award and the first trooper from the Lynchburg office recognized for her work.

Maddox received the Superintendent’s Award for Promotion of Highway Safety Friday afternoon. The award is given to seven troopers — one from each division in the state — each year.
“I hope my enforcement efforts have not just promoted highway safety, but have saved a life,” she said.

Maddox, who patrols Campbell County, was competing against 130 other troopers patrolling the cities of Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Staunton and the counties of Augusta, Albemarle, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte Cumberland, Fluvanna, Greene, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nelson, and Prince Edward.

The award honors troopers who have contributed to highway safety by cracking down on speeders, reckless drivers and those who aren’t wearing seatbelts, among other safety concerns, said Capt. Paul Kvasnicka, commander of the division.

First Sgt. James Hopkins said Maddox is a motivated trooper.

“The citizens of Campbell County should be proud to have such a dedicated person working for them,” Hopkins said. “It’s safe to say that Connie loves her job.”

The award has been given to troopers since 1992. In 16 years, it has never appeared in the Lynchburg office, which covers the city as well as Campbell and Amherst counties. The trophy will reside there now, until the next trooper is recognized.

“It feels good,” Hopkins said. “I hope it becomes a habit. I’ve got a lot of people in my office who are capable of achieving this award. The people of Campbell County should be proud of the work we are doing every day.”

Maddox has been a trooper for 12 years. She said she first developed an interest in law enforcement from her sister, who served as a Lynchburg Police officer.
She sometimes would ride along with her sister on patrol.
“I realized that is what I wanted to do,” Maddox said. “When you come to work, you realize that you don’t know what you’ll be doing in a day.”

The 34-year-old is a native of Halifax. She served in Stafford County before transferring to Campbell County in 2001.

“Connie has an excellent work ethic,” Kvasnicka said. “She works hard and knows what we expect of her. We are really proud of her. She is a super trooper in her outstanding promotion of highway safety.”