Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY BRIDGEPORT, MI. Michigan State Trooper Joel Popp was struck and killed by a vehicle along a stretch of I-75 while conducting a DWI traffic stop. BRIDGEPORT TOWNSHIP, MI. - The Bridgeport community is remembering a hometown hero. Michigan State Police Trooper Joel Popp died after he was struck by a vehicle along I-75 as Popp and other troopers were conducting a traffic stop on a suspected impaired driver. The driver of the van that hit Popp, an 81-year-old man, was hospitalized with serious injuries. Joel worked in the private sector for about fifteen years but wanted to get into law enforcement. He graduated from the trooper recruit school in 2020. Joel Popp was 35 years old when he became a Michigan State Police trooper. He was a graduate of Bridgeport High School. A friend of Popp says he married his high school sweetheart, and they have a young daughter together. Lt. Kim Vetter of the Michigan State Police worked with Popp at the Tri-City post in Freeland. “It seems like he had a love for the job,” says Vetter. “He had a heart for public service, and we will greatly miss him.” “He’s from Bridgeport,” says Bridgeport Fire Chief Dave Smigiel. “So there is that much more connection to the great many people in this community.” He heard the call go out that a trooper was injured on I-75. “Still has a lot of family relations and friends here, including this fire department,” says Smigiel. “It hit hard. Once we learned it was him, it was just that much more shocking.” The investigation continues into exactly how the accident unfolded, but police are looking at the possibility of distracted driving being the cause. “There is a move-over law, TROOPER JOEL POPP and people are required to move over and slow down ten miles an hour below the posted speed limit when passing an emergency scene,” says Vetter. “People just don’t take the care that they need to do, and that is, give us space, slow down, be aware of what else can be going on, and it just happens far too much, and unfortunately, it took a young man’s life last night,” says Smigiel. 34 The Blues - February ‘24

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