Safer roads priority for new Troop E commander

Taking the helm of the local Missouri State Highway Patrol troop has presented Phil Gregory with new challenges as he shifts his mindset toward traffic enforcement.

A 25-year veteran of the patrol, Gregory recently was promoted to captain and assumed the role of the troop’s commanding officer.

Gregory was chosen to replace Capt. Jeff Vitale, who recently retired after 30 years of service.

Gregory previously had served as a lieutenant with the Division of Drug and Crime Control since July 2010.

Gregory had supervised District III, which included DDCC units in Troop C and Troop E.

Homicides, auto thefts, bank robberies, narcotics and public corruption were among the crimes investigated by the DDCC officers Gregory supervised. The division also often provides assistance to local agencies on some investigations, such as homicides.

“I think it presents new challenges … it’s been a learning experience,” going from “my work being all criminal investigation” to highway enforcement, said Gregory, who described it as both an honor and privilege to have been named troop commander.

According to Gregory, there are some “differences between this and my prior position, although there are a lot of similarities between the two.”

One of the similarities ties into Gregory’s roots being in Southeast Missouri.

“I’m excited about returning back to where I started my career and working with local law enforcement, criminal justice partners, first responders and the community,” Gregory said. “I’ve enjoyed it so far. I look forward to it in the weeks, months and years ahead.”

Vitale, Gregory said, did a good job on outreach to the other agencies across Southeast Missouri.

“I plan to continue and expand that,” he said. “ … I look forward to building the relationships with other agencies.”

Having previously worked as a firefighter and a city police officer, as well as in emergency medical services, “I get what shoes they have to fill and know how important it is for all of use to work together,” Gregory said.

Gregory also hopes to look for ways to expand the patrol’s Explorer Post and Youth Academy program to “get more youth interested in a career in law enforcement.”

Gregory said he also is looking at ways through education and enforcement to reduce the severity and number of traffic crashes.

“I think I would be off base not to mention the need to decrease the number and severity of traffic crashes,” Gregory said. “For the state, we’ve had a downturn.

“We would like to continue to decrease those numbers.”

As of Monday, there have been 525 fatalities statewide as compared to 592 in 2018 for a decrease of 11%. In 2018, a total of 921 people died on Missouri’s roadways.

Earlier this year, Gregory said, Troop E, was significantly down, but now it is only slightly down in deaths.

Thirty-six people have died on Southeast Missouri’s roadways as of Monday, as compared to 37 at this same time last year equating to a 2% decrease.

“That (number) fluctuates,” he said.

A huge piece of the puzzle is the cause of the deaths in many of the crashes involve single vehicles running off the road and occupants being ejected, Gregory said.

Seat belt usage, he said, is important.

While Gregory admits seat belts wouldn’t save lives in “every fatal” crash, they would in a significant number of crashes.

Statistics show an unrestrained driver was 43.7 times more likely to die in a crash in 2018.

“Another (cause) is distracted driving,” said Gregory, who indicated the distractions range from electronic devices to reading, anything that causes a person to “not pay attention to the task at hand.”

Decreasing the distractions, Gregory said, will help reduce the severity and number of crashes.

In 2017, Gregory said, 88 people were killed statewide and another 8,809 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers.

Gregory encouraged everyone to wear his or her seat belt and pay attention while driving.

“We can’t do it all ourselves,” Gregory said. “If an individual knows something about criminal activity or are aware someone is having a problem, it goes back to the saying, ‘If you see something, say something.’”

Since taking the helm, Gregory said, he has spent time getting to know the newer troopers.

“A big thing for me is officer safety,” Gregory said. “We can’t help anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves.”

With all that is going on in the nation with the recent shootings, “I want Missouri and Troop E to be a safe place to work and visit,” Gregory said.

As Gregory visits with troopers in each of the zones, he said, he is asking them to look at ways they can continue to be proactive and reminds them about “spending tax dollars in the best way we can.”

The goal, he said, is obtain the “best results,” while “utilizing our resources most efficiently.”