08/25/11 A trooper from the Indiana State Police Post at Putnamville has been reassigned to the department’s coveted motor patrol section and will now be a common factor in deterring speeding and aggressive driving within the district.
Master Trooper Chip McKee, a 16-year veteran of the Indiana State Police, was selected for this position by General Headquarters personnel and sent to the Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycle Training Program in Ontario, Canada. Upon his successful completion of the two week school in May of this year, McKee was awarded his 2011 Harley-Davidson Patrol Motorcycle adorned with the Indiana State Police logo and equipment. McKee now patrols the six county Putnamville District which includes the counties of Parke, Vermillion, Vigo, Clay, Putnam, and Sullivan.
In this new capacity, McKee will be targeting driving behaviors that contribute to vehicle crashes, raise awareness to motorcycle safety, conduct VIP escorts and military escorts, participate in local parades, and assist with public information programs on motorcycle safety within the district. He will also be assigned to various traffic safety details at large events around the state of Indiana.
The Indiana State Police issued Harley-Davidson or Indian motorcycles to the first troopers in 1933. Cars were introduced in 1939. The department now has 25 troopers assigned to the motor patrol section and they all ride Harley-Davidson cycles.
McKee is a Marshall County native, a 1978 PHS grad,and a graduate of Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology. He also served his country in the United States Army from 1982 until 1993 where attained the rank of Captain of Infantry. After his appointment to the ISP in 1995, he was initially assigned to the Lowell District where he served as a trooper and later as a gaming detective in the Gaming Division. McKee transferred to the former Terre Haute District in 2006 and patrolled Vigo County until his new assignment in motor patrol.
Chip and his wife Sue reside in rural Vigo County.
