Officer David T. Childs

Kentucky State Police Water Patrol Officer* David Thomas Childs, age 39, perished along with Trooper James McNeely on April 8, 1972. The officers were searching for two Louisville teens reported missing on a canoe trip when a swift current in the rain-swollen Kentucky River swept their boat over the Lock 4 dam in Frankfort, Ky. The missing youths were found later unhurt. His body was recovered from the Ohio River near Tell City, Ind. He is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery. In honor of his service and sacrifice, KY 1784, Coffee Tree Road has been designated "Officer David T. Childs Memorial Highway". In 1968, responsibility for the enforcement of boating safety laws was transferred from the Kentucky Dept. of Public Safety's Boating Division to the Division of State Police. In November of 1972, responsibility for boating safety was transferred to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.