VSP Trooper Richard Berlandy selected as finalist for prestigious national award

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

VSP Trooper Richard Berlandy selected as finalist for prestigious national award

WATERBURY, Vermont (Tuesday, March 18, 2025) — For the second consecutive year, a Vermont State Police trooper has been selected as one of four finalists across the United States and Canada for the International Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year Award.

Richard Berlandy of the Derby Barracks is nominated for his heroic actions July 14, 2024, when he and two other troopers, Sgt. Joshua Mikkola and Trooper Jesse Nash, became involved in a pursuit and gun battle in Burke with a wanted fugitive from Rhode Island, and then provided life-saving medical care to the man who just attempted to kill them.

The prestigious award “recognizes four state troopers and provincial police officers who have demonstrated bravery, courage, leadership, and professionalism in the previous year,” according to the IACP.

“The selection of Trooper Berlandy as a finalist is a recognition of the courage, professionalism and determination he and his fellow troopers demonstrated that July day,” Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew T. Birmingham said, noting that agencies can submit only one name for award consideration.

“Through this award nomination, the IACP is recognizing the valiant efforts not only of Trooper Berlandy but also those of Sgt. Mikkola and Trooper Nash,” Col. Birmingham added. “At great risk to their own safety, they ended a violent encounter with an armed suspect who posed a considerable and continuing threat to the public.”

Finalists for the IACP / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year Award are chosen from a large pool of nominees by vote among members of the IACP’s State and Provincial Police Division. Each finalist represents one of the division’s four regions; Trooper Berlandy represents the North Atlantic Region. At a banquet Thursday, March 20, in Orlando, Florida, one of the four finalists will be named the overall IACP / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year.

A year ago, Trooper Michelle Archer of the Williston Barracks was nominated as the North Atlantic Region finalist for her actions when she dived into a frozen pond in December 2023 in Cambridge to save a young girl from drowning.

Col. Birmingham noted in a message to all Vermont State Police employees that the back-to-back Trooper of the Year nominations reflect well on everyone in the agency.

“For a small state, I am proud of all the incredible and heroic work that you all do every day,” he said, “and I am honored that it is being acknowledged on the national stage.”

The incident for which Trooper Berlandy is nominated occurred after police in Rhode Island notified law enforcement in northern New England that an armed and dangerous wanted man, Brenden Sackal, was believed to be in the area. Police located him driving through northern New Hampshire and began a pursuit that eventually crossed into Vermont, where agents from the U.S. Border Patrol spiked the truck’s tires. Sackal continued on his rims at slow speeds, and the Vermont State Police became involved.

After about 20 miles, Troopers Berlandy and Nash and Sgt. Mikkola attempted a boxing-in maneuver to stop Sackal’s vehicle. Instead he rammed Trooper Berlandy’s cruiser and spun onto the shoulder with the front of his vehicle pinned against the driver’s door of the cruiser, trapping Trooper Berlandy inside. Sackal then emerged from his truck and began firing at troopers with an automatic-type weapon. Trooper Berlandy and Sgt. Mikkola returned fire, wounding Sackal, who then surrendered and was secured. Immediately afterward, troopers and other law-enforcement personnel tended to Sackal’s injuries and stabilized him while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive.

“All my instincts had me feel that in that moment that I was going to die. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” Trooper Berlandy said. “After the incident happened, I was kind of in a state of shock and disbelief that I walked away from it unscathed, realizing how dangerous it was and how lucky I just had gotten.”

He credited his experience and training as a state trooper and the presence of additional police support for preparing him to handle the life-threatening encounter.

“Once everything started to happen, I didn’t have to think about what I needed to do. Everything was reactionary, and I was able to focus on the task at hand. All of my training just instinctually kicked in, helping me and eventually saving my life,” Trooper Berlandy said.

“That night, while we were following that vehicle, it was comforting to know that I had not just two troopers with me, two of my really close friends, but I also had three other law enforcement agencies all with people who I depend on and I can trust to help me and support me in situations like to this.”

Trooper Berlandy joined the Vermont State Police in 2019 and has spent his career assigned to the Derby Barracks.

To read about the IACP / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year Award and all four finalists, visit the this page on the IACP’s website.

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