NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Capt. J. Tim Hull
(573) 526-6115
7081
July 1, 2008
EMPHASIS: Sgt. Paula L. Woodruff Retires

Colonel James F. Keathley, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the retirement of Sergeant Paula L. Woodruff, who will retire July 1, 2008, after 28 years of dedicated service.

Sgt. Woodruff joined the Patrol on January 1, 1980, as a member of the 51st Recruit Class. After completing training at the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy in Jefferson City, MO, she was assigned to Troop F, Zone 2, Jefferson City. In 1992, Woodruff transferred to the Division of Drug and Crime Control as a narcotics officer. She transferred to the Gaming Division and worked at Harrah’s Casino in 1994. In 1998, she was promoted to corporal and assigned assistant officer-in-charge at the Station’s Casino in St. Charles, MO. Woodruff became a full-time recruiter for the Patrol in 1999. She was promoted to sergeant effective January 2001. In 2006, she transferred to the Gaming Division. At the time of her retirement, Woodruff was assigned as a gaming agent aboard the Argosy Casino in Riverside, MO.

Throughout her career, Sgt. Woodruff was asked to speak to groups about her role as an African-American female in law enforcement. She was the first African-American female hired by the Patrol, and is the first to retire.

Woodruff took part in a variety of details during her career. In 1990, she was part of the security detail for Miss America, Debbye Turner, when she appeared in Jefferson City. Woodruff also participated in Operation T.O.Y.S., a program that helps provide Christmas gifts to children who wouldn’t otherwise receive any. In addition, she assisted with the 34th Cadet Patrol Academy in 2003. In 2003, the Patrol hosted a seminar entitled, “Meet The Women Of The Patrol”, and Woodruff took part in that event. In 2005, she joined many coworkers to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation by building a playhouse for a very sick little girl in the Troop C area.

Woodruff was praised for her volunteer work for Connection To Success. This nonprofit organization’s mission is to transform the lives of low-income St. Louis area women and families by serving as a network to those seeking, gaining, and maintaining employment. The charity praised Woodruff for her courage and determination. In 2006, Women Legislators of Missouri awarded a DeVerne Lee Calloway Award to Woodruff in a special ceremony in the Capitol rotunda. This award is bestowed upon women who make major contributions to equality and social justice concerning equal opportunities for all Missourians in the areas of education, housing, and employment.

In a December 2000 Patrol News article, Sgt. Woodruff said she became a trooper because it appealed to her need to have a nontraditional career along with having a strong sense of character, morality, and truth. “The decision was not difficult at all. After listening to a trooper talk for about an hour and a half, I was hooked! ... None of my friends were surprised, which surprised me.”

Sgt. Woodruff was born in Newport, R.I. She graduated from Needham Boughton High School in Raleigh, N.C. She earned as associate’s of arts degree in criminal justice from Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City, MO. Prior to joining the Patrol, she served as a radioman in the United States Navy from July 1975 to July 1979. While in the Navy, Woodruff was stationed in Little Creek and Norfolk, VA, and Great Lakes, IL. Sgt. Woodruff is a member of Dress for Success and Friends of Moms. She has a son and a granddaughter.

Congratulations, Sgt. Woodruff!