The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

OFFICER OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER 1996

CORPORAL MIKE LEWIS
MARYLAND STATE POLICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Corporal Mike Lewis wasn't prepared for the phone call he received. It was from the mother of a fugitive he had just arrested. She wanted to thank him for feeding her son.

Mike Lewis remembered the case well. He had marched past his fellow officers, hauled the handcuffed man out of the mud, brushed him off and took him to the nearest McDonald's restaurant. The guy had been on the run for two days and he didn't bother stopping to eat. Lewis's sergeant was angry, but to Lewis, even the bad guys have to eat.

Eleven years ago, Mike Lewis became a Maryland State Trooper at the age of 21. He had watched drug abuse take a heavy toll on many of his friends, and he was determined to help stop the drug running that had plagued Maryland's Eastern Shore. Since that time, Corporal Lewis has become one of the nation's leading experts in highway drug interdiction. He's also one of Maryland's most decorated police officers. Corporal Lewis specializes in detecting "hidden safes," the sophisticated compartments built into cars so high-dollar drug traffickers can secrete their stash.

He pioneered the Drug Interdiction Program along one of Maryland's major drug running corridor, U.S. Route 13, and his efforts have resulted in the seizure of hundreds of weapons and millions of dollars in drugs. In fact, Corporal Lewis was responsible for the second largest cocaine bust in Eastern Shore history in August 1996, when he nabbed 12 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than a million dollars.

His partner, Corporal Tom Davis, calls Mike an actor. "Extremely intelligent, with a lot of common sense, Corporal Lewis can be your best friend, your worst enemy, or anything in between, depending on what the situation warrants."

Lt. Edwin Lashley, Corporal Lewis's boss, put it this way: "Mike is the epitome of what we strive to be, in both his professional and personal life. His devotion to everyone is unparalleled. I've never seen anything like it in my 20 years of public service. The state and the country would be a better place if we had more people like Mike Lewis."


Located in the nation's capital, the NLEOMF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America's law enforcement officers. The NLEOMF established the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 1991. The NLEOMF Officer of the Month Program, established in 1996, recognizes federal, state and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.