Vermont State Police Trooper Michelle Archer has been selected as one of four finalists across the United States and Canada for the International Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year Award.
The award recognizes four state troopers and provincial police officers who have demonstrated bravery, courage, leadership and professionalism in the previous year. Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew T. Birmingham nominated Archer following her lifesaving rescue in December of an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through thin ice into a pond in Cambridge.
“I can think of no one who is more deserving of this honor than Trooper Archer,” Birmingham said. “At great risk to her personal safety, she swam through near-freezing water, reached the drowning girl and pulled her to shore. Without Trooper Archer’s selfless conduct, the outcome could have been tragic.”
Archer joined the Vermont State Police in 2018. She has spent the majority of her career at the Williston Barracks, with the exception of a two-month special assignment at the Derby Barracks in 2021.
The Trooper of the Year will be announced March 14 in San Antonio, Texas.