STOP DWI AWARDS

This week Rockland County honored 27 police officers whose collective efforts removed 388 drunken drivers from the streets in 2015.

Officers from Ramapo, Spring Valley, Orangetown, Suffern, the Rockland Sheriff’s Department, New York State police Troop F and New York State Park police, were honored at the annual STOP-DWI Awards luncheon. Each of the honorees made more than 10 drunk driving arrests on Rockland County roadways in 2015.

“A big thank you to all of our dedicated law enforcements officers who enforce Rockland’s zero tolerance for drunken drivers,” Day told the honorees. “We don’t want drunken drivers on our roads, threatening the safety of our families.”

Every drunken driver removed from the road meant a possible car crash averted, he said. “That’s more than 338 crashes prevented and 338 people who weren’t hurt or killed by someone driving drunk,” he said.

STOP-DWI Coordinator Leslie Berger thanked the officers for enforcing Rockland’s zero tolerance policy toward drunken drivers. “We will continue to educate our young people and members of the community on the risks and fatal consequences of drinking and driving,” she said.

The award winners are:

First Place –  Rockland Sheriff’s Deputy James Russell: 28 arrests

Second Place – Ramapo Police Officer Jonathan Quinn: 24 arrests

Third Place –  Ramapo Police Officer Chris Youngman:  22 arrests

Other police officers honored:

20 arrests each: Spring Valley Officer Jacqueline Blumfield, Trooper Thomas Tierney

18 arrests each: Trooper Shameed Yadali, Spring Valley Officer Shannon Hanson

17 arrests each: Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Moger, Trooper Daniel Balletto

16 arrests: Spring Valley Officer Khalid Parwanta

14 arrests: Spring Valley Officer Yakov Polowin

13 arrests: Orangetown Officer Joel Spoelstra

12 arrests each: Ramapo Officer Marc Lieman, Orangetown Officer Nicholas Whalen, Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Corbett, Trooper Ray Hasan

11 arrests each: Ramapo Officer Chris Hudak, Spring Valley Officer Albert Lopez, Trooper Kenneth Plate.

10 arrests each: Ramapo Officer Wayne Mitchell, Orangetown Officer Keith Trojan, Suffern Officer Andrew Yorke, Park police Officers Nelson Marti and James Flanagan, Troopers Christopher Kelly, Keith Fitzgerald, Frank Rose.