The Deputy John R. Kotfila '08 Jr. Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship has been established by the family of John Robert Kotfila Jr. Class of 2008 as a memorial tribute to their son who was honored posthumously at the 2024 Criminal Justice Hall of Fame for Westfield State alums.
Deputy Sheriff John Robert Kotfila Jr. served the Hillsborough County Florida Sheriff’s Department for six years. He worked out of District 5, was a member of the Accident Investigation Unit, and was also a founding member of the agency’s Safety Net program. This unit was used to locate missing elderly patients and children with Autism by helicopter using GPS locators. At Lawrence Junior High School in Falmouth he was named Student of the Year in 1999.
He graduated from Falmouth High School in 2003. He received his bachelor of science degree from Westfield State University. While attending Westfield State he worked at the Westfield State Public Safety Unit.
In his spare time, he enjoyed mountain biking, triathlons, Tough Mudders, and his faithful German Shepherd companion Dexter.
On March 12, 2016 Deputy Kotfila was traveling on the Selmon Expressway in Tampa Florida when he had to make a split-second decision. A wrong way drunk driver was bearing down on the vehicle in front of his cruiser. He then passed the car in front of him and placed his cruiser between the two vehicles. A head on collision occurred in which he was killed. Two innocent civilian’s lives were saved by his heroic actions on that day. His sacrifice is noted on the Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington DC, the Police Hall of Fame in Titusville Florida, the Florida Sheriff’s Association Wall, and also the Florida Law Enforcement Wall in Tallahassee Florida.
John Robert was a third generation Law Enforcement Officer. His father is a Sergeant in the Massachusetts State Police, his maternal grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Massachusetts State Police, and his paternal grandfather was a Holyoke Police Officer. His brother, sister, uncle, and cousin are all police officers. John Robert’s sister, Katelyn Grace Kotfila, became a Hillsborough County Deputy Sheriff in 2017. The same department as John Robert. She is being promoted to Corporal on March 18th 2024.