Honorees

← Back to directory

Year Honored
2000
Honoree
Carey S Poetzman
Agency
Maryland State Police
Agency City
Baltimore
Agency State
MD
Last Call
1/19/86
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
"Trooper First Class Carey S. Poetzman was the first woman to be transferred into the Aviator Division as a sworn uniformed member of the Maryland State Police to provide medical services on board an aircraft. She soon earned the trust and respect of her all-male peers and supervisors.<br /> <br /> Carey Poetzman was the paramedic aboard a Maryland State Police helicopter dispatched from the Frederick Airport, in Frederick County, to Carroll County for a gunshot victim. Shortly after take-off, on the return flight to Frederick, the crew encountered instrument meteorological conditions. The helicopter crashed in Leakin Park, in Baltimore City, on January 19, 1986, killing both crew members.<br /> <br /> "She was an excellent care provider and really loved her job. She was a sincere and honest person, dedicated to her job and family," said a co-worker. As a result of Carey's death the MSP looked for a more powerful and safer air craft.<br /> <br /> Poetzman was a cardiac rescue technician and received additional medical training at the University of Maryland in order to perform her duties as a medic on-board the MSP helicopter. She was trained as a respiratory therapist at Johns Hopkins and was the first female Maryland trooper to die in the line of duty. She was working on becoming the first female helicopter pilot in the State Police. She was trained to fly a helicopter and had accumulated enough hours to get a private pilot's license. Together with her husband she built a log home and made all of the kitchen cabinets out of cherry from scratch. Whatever she put her mind to she accomplished.<br /> <br /> Carey Poetzman, 28, is survived by her husband, Robert Simpson. Carey and Robert were the only police husband and wife team in the country.<br /> <br /> Honored 2000