Vermont State Police trooper receives Carnegie Medal for Heroism in rescue of drowning girl

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

Vermont State Police trooper receives Carnegie Medal for Heroism in rescue of drowning girl

WATERBURY, Vermont (Tuesday, March 25, 2025) — Vermont State Police Trooper Michelle Archer has been named a Carnegie Hero for her lifesaving rescue of a girl who plunged through thin ice covering a pond in December 2023.

Trooper Archer is one of 17 individuals in the United States and Canada to receive a Carnegie Medal for Heroism after they “risked death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others,” the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced this week.

The award recognizes Trooper Archer’s heroism and selflessness in saving an 8-year-old girl who fell into frigid water Dec. 17, 2023, in Cambridge. Trooper Archer was on patrol nearby and arrived on scene less than five minutes after a 911 call. She grabbed a department-issued throw rope and flotation device, removed her duty belt, entered the near-freezing pond and swam to the girl. Trooper Archer secured the girl and returned to shore, where Trooper Keith Cote carried the girl to a waiting Cambridge Rescue ambulance.

“My instincts and training kicked in, and there was no question what I needed to do,” Trooper Archer said. “When I jumped into that frozen pond, the only thing I was thinking about was reaching that little girl and trying to save her life. You don’t get into the profession of policing for accolades; you do it because you believe in serving your community and keeping people safe. As humbling as all the awards and attention are that followed what I did that day, nothing can overshadow the biggest reward of all: The little girl survived and fully recovered.”

Last year, Trooper Archer was named a finalist for International Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year, and she received a Vermont State Police Lifesaving Award, among other honors. The story of the rescue made headlines worldwide.

“Receiving the Carnegie Medal is a tremendous honor, and I can think of no more deserving a recipient than Trooper Archer,” said Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police. “This recognition, coupled with numerous others that members of the state police have received in recent weeks and months, reflects so highly on each and every person who works for this agency. Vermonters have much to be proud of when it comes to the state police, from these high-profile awards to the unsung, everyday acts of selflessness, bravery and heroism that people rarely hear about.”

More information about the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission and the 17 newest recipients is available on the fund’s website.

A video interview with Troopers Archer and Cote about the rescue is available at this link. Footage of the incident from Trooper Archer’s body-worn camera can be downloaded from VSP’s website.

Trooper Archer joined the Vermont State Police in January 2018. Following her graduation from the Vermont Police Academy that July, she was assigned as a trooper to the Williston Barracks, which is responsible for patrols throughout Chittenden and Lamoille counties. She has spent most of her career at Williston with the exception of a two-month special assignment at the Derby Barracks in northeastern Vermont in 2021. In addition to her patrol duties, Trooper Archer is a member of the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team and serves as a Field Training Officer. An official agency photograph of Trooper Archer is available online here.

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