WYRZ.org 98.9 WYRZ – The Voice of Hendricks County
Indianapolis, IN – Three members of the 50th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy from the Indianapolis District were honored last month for completing 25 years of service. Indianapolis District Commander Lieutenant Jeff Payne said, “These three men are great troopers, great leaders and most importantly great people. For more than 25 years they have committed their lives to the safety of their communities, which is deserving of recognition. The knowledge and experience they have passed to younger troopers is essential in the evolution of our professional organization”
Sergeant David Cox Sr. is native of Hendricks County and a 1985 graduate of Cascade High School. After high school Cox attended both Purdue University and IUPUI. At the conclusion of the recruit academy Cox was awarded the coveted Superintendent’s Award, given to the top performing recruit in all aspects of the recruit school. Dave was assigned to the Indianapolis District where he patrolled for a little over one year. When the opportunity arose, he transferred back to his home district Putnamville, where he patrolled Hendricks County for nearly 16 years. In 2005 he was promoted to the position of Sergeant to serve as a squad leader for the Putnamville District. In 2010, due to district realignment, Sgt. Cox was transferred to the Indianapolis District where he currently serves as a supervisor for a group of troopers assigned to the west side of Indianapolis and Hendricks County. During his career with the state police, Dave served for nearly 14 years on the SWAT team where he received several awards.
Sgt. Cox currently resides in Hendricks County with his wife and has three sons. His son David Cox Jr. recently joined the Indiana State Police and is assigned to the Putnamville District.
Sgt. Jeffrey Rader is a native of Danville Indiana and a 1987 graduate of Danville High School. After high school Rader attended IUPUI where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Jeff’s first district assignment after the academy was to the Fort Wayne District where he patrolled Adams County counties. In 1995 Rader was granted a transfer to the Pendleton District. In 2000 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal to serve as a district duty officer for the Pendleton District. Rader was promoted to Sergeant in 2003 and served as a district squad leader. In 2014 Rader transferred to the Indianapolis District where he is currently a squad supervisor for Troopers assigned to the northern part of the district.
During his career Rader has been a member of the Tactical Intervention Platoon (TIP), a hostage negotiator, a member of the critical incident response team, a radar instructor, and spent time patrolling in an unmarked Chevrolet Camaro as part of the department’s High Performance Vehicle Team.
Sgt. Rader currently resides in Hamilton County and is the proud father of three children.
Sergeant Dennis Scudder is a native of Vevay Indiana and a 1978 graduate of Switzerland County High School. After high school Scudder received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Indianapolis. Upon graduation from the academy Scudder began his career at Indiana State Police Indianapolis District. He joined the State Police as a second generation trooper, his father, John Scudder was the First Sergeant of the Versailles District. Dennis worked road patrol in Marion and Shelby Counties. In 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and served as the District duty officer for the Indianapolis regional dispatch center until receiving the promotion to Sergeant in 2013. He currently is a supervisor for a squad of Troopers assigned to the southeast area of the district.During his career, Sgt. Scudder has been a member of the Tactical Intervention Platoon, and the Honor Guard. He is a field training officer, and certified in photogrammetry, and PIT (precision intervention technique)
He resides in Shelby County with his wife, Rachel, and has two children.
