Blue Max Winners 1972-2012 Year Blue Max Post Bolts 1972 Patrolman John E. Spitler Piqua 7 1972 Patrolman Richard P. Wells Piqua 7 1973 Patrolman Richard W. Mees Piqua 12 1974 Patrolman Larry M. Cox Dayton 3 1975 Patrolman Ronald L. Hoeft Castalia 13 1976 Paul W. Combs Lebanon 14 1977 Monte L. McGowen Swanton 12 1978 Monte L. McGowen Swanton 12 1979 Monte L. McGowen Swanton 19 1980 Monte L. McGowen Swanton 24 1981 Walter J. Bradley Warren 15 1982 Walter J. Bradley Warren 17 1983 Timothy E. Stockman Lima 24 1984 Sergeant Charles E. Veppert Hiram 12 1985 Timothy W. Hubbell Lima 15 1986 Timothy W. Hubbell Lima 12 1987 Timothy E. Stockman Lima 13 1988 James R. Mendenhall West Jefferson 16 1989 Mark A. Helsinger Hamilton 10 1990 Michael Weber Milan 7 1991 James R. Mendenhall West Jefferson 10 1992 Brian T. Charles Granville 8 1993 David K. Mills West Jefferson 9 1994 Charles A. Spurgeon Granville 10 1995 Carl Roark Dayton 11 1996 Harold T. Myers Springfield 11 1997 Michael A. Harmon Warren 7 1998 Kyle J. Hurles Springfield 13 1999 James D. Myers Dayton 13 2000 Frank P. Clayman Ashtabula 17 2001 Dana M. Hutton Chillicothe 11 2002 Brian D. Foltz Granville 10 2003 William R. Bowers Lima 12 2004 Dana M. Hutton Chillicothe 11 2005 Charles M. Gannon Dayton 14 2006 Timothy S. Durham Springfield 22 2007 Jason L. Hodge Springfield 12 2008 Daniel H. Jesse Ashtabula 16 2009 Jared M. Klingensmith Ashtabula 14 2010 Ryan E. Robirds Ironton 12 2011 Robert N. Webb Portsmouth 11 2012 Timothy S. Durham Springfield 16 Blue Max Program The Blue Max program is an incentive recognition system designed to recognize troopers who recover stolen vehicles with on-the-spot apprehensions. The is earned by recovering five stolen vehicles with on-the-spot apprehensions in one calendar year. The officer recovering the most stolen vehicles is then designated as the Blue Max winner. Each winner receives a certificate, special Ace license plates for display on his or her patrol car, and a uniform ribbon. The Blue Max winner receives a certificate, Blue Max license plates, a uniform ribbon, and exclusive use of a patrol car for a year. However, the Blue Max program offers much more than incentives. Officer safety is supported with state-of-the-art communications that supply instant access to vehicle ownership and theft data from anywhere in the country. The officer also receives auto larceny enforcement news and tips from a bimonthly internal newsletter. To maintain a high level of vehicle theft enforcement knowledge among its officers, the Highway Patrol conducts several auto larceny courses every year at its Training Academy. Ace and Blue Max award winners are used as guest instructors during these courses to share their knowledge and experiences. Since its inception in 1972, many law enforcement agencies throughout the United States have emulated this successful program. With continued support from the insurance industry and the public, the Blue Max program will continue to have significant impact on vehicle theft in Ohio.
2012 Blue Max Winner Timothy S. Durham Springfield Post Michael R. McCarthy Cleveland Operations Michael D. Russell Durham recovered 16 stolen vehicles with a combined value of $138,550 and apprehended 17 suspects. He recovered stolen vehicles in the course of various patrol activities, including crash investigations and traffic stops, as well as after observing vehicles that were the subject of be on the lookout reports. Durham also earned the Blue Max Award in 2006. Warren Investigations Richard T. Sprague Cleveland Operations
William R. Bowers Findlay Investigations Kristi J. Comstock Marion Post Daniel R. Brown Cincinnati Operations Shawn D. Cook Van Wert Post John A. Johnson GHQ Investigations Sergeant Cliffton D. Dowell Medina Post
Byron D. Foxx Cleveland Metro Post Tawanna L. Young Columbus Metro Post Edward G. Franke Lisbon Post Matthew D. Himes West Jefferson Post
Tammy D. Soto Elyria Post Chad M. Lyons Lancaster Post Drew A. Untied Batavia Post Craig A. Malone Cleveland Metro Post Vic L. Wolfe Lisbon Post Kevin R. Morgan Lebanon Post
Matthew J. Ortiz Marysville Post Benjamin R. Seabolt Chillicothe Post Lawrence Roberts Jr. Cleveland Metro Post David G. Slanker Springfield Post Sergeant Matthew R. Schmenk Lima Post Justin N. Slusser Lima Post