(Brentwood, New York-February 26, 2013) – County Executive Bellone was joined by Legislators Hahn, Calarco and Cilmi as well as SCPD Chief James Burke and Sheriff Vincent DeMarco to honor twenty four Suffolk County Police Officers for making the most DWI arrests in Suffolk County. The prestigious ceremony, held at the Suffolk County Police Academy, honored all the officers and awarded one sheriff with the Top Cop award after making 108 arrests this year.
“These officers have saved hundreds of lives by making DWI a priority and arresting those individuals who make the irresponsible decision to drive drunk,” said County Executive Bellone. “Suffolk County police agencies made over 5,100 arrests in 2012 and more than 15,000 DWI arrests in the past 3 years. Suffolk County will not tolerate drunk driving on our roadways. We remain committed to arresting anyone who chooses to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car, endangering the lives of others.”
The following officers were honored at the ceremony:
NYS Trooper Michael Grosso
Officer Steven Sheades
Officer John Mercuio
Sheriff Gregory Turzer
Officer David Driscoll
Officer Robert Verdu
Officer Kimberleigh McMahon
Officer Steven McManus
Officer Jaime Bustamante
Officer Vincent Rantinella
Officer Timothy Murphy
Officer Jason Ostrow
Officer Christopher Drake
Officer Keith Phillips
Officer Brandon Neal
Officer Peter Onufrak
Officer Gregory Sandbickler
Officer Ari Kirsh
Officer Joseph Slack
Officer Derrick Hall
Officer Roger Kleber
Officer David Leath
Officer Harry Joss
Officer John Galvin
Bellone was joined by several advocates from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) at the ceremony to recognize the valiant efforts of the police officers.
The Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated (STOP-DWI) is a comprehensive program specifically designed to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries in New York State. The program is supported by the fines collected from individuals convicted of alcohol-related traffic infractions.
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