Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Colorado Department of Transportation gave out approximately three dozen awards to criminal justice agencies and personnel for their efforts to combat impaired driving and speeding, and increase the usage of seatbelts.

“At CDOT, we are committed to taking a holistic approach to the safety of our system — and part of that is recognizing the service of public safety officials, as well as our responsibility to do whatever we can to keep them safe on the job,” said the department’s executive director, Shoshana Lew. 

A virtual awards ceremony occurred on Sept. 30 for the “Law Enforcement Champions” awards. Efforts such as driving under the influence checkpoints or seat belt awareness campaigns were factors in selecting agencies to honor. CDOT provides funding for agencies across the state to conduct enhanced DUI and seat belt enforcement. Currently, 86% of drivers in Colorado use seatbelts, which was below the nearly 90% nationwide estimated in 2018.

This year’s honorees were:

• Col. Mark V. Trostel Law Enforcement Officer Of The Year Award: Major Steve Garcia, Colorado State Patrol
• Sgt. David Baldwin Award: Sergeant Roger Meyers, Colorado State Patrol Troop 1A
• Dr. Robert E. Weltzer Outstanding Dedication to Traffic Safety: Laura Sonderup, Heinrich Marketing
• MADD Hero Award: Accident Investigator Joseph Dougherty, Westminster Police Department
• MADD Hero Award: Deputy TJ Kyle, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
• Drug Recognition Expert of the Year — Front Range: Sergeant Jason Sparks, Colorado State Patrol Troop 3C
• Drug Recognition Expert of the Year — Rural: Sergeant Jennifer Plutt, Park County Sheriff’s Office
• DRE Instructor of the Year: Corporal Nicholas Hazlett, Colorado State Patrol Troop 2B/E
• Excellence in Leadership Award: Chief of Police Greg Daly, Avon Police Department
• Outstanding Dedication to Investigating Impaired Driving Crashes: District 1 Vehicular Crimes Team, Colorado State Patrol Troop 1A/E
• Outstanding Dedication to Investigating Impaired Driving Crashes: Officer Brooke Mourey, Aurora Police Department
• Outstanding Dedication to Speed Enforcement: Police Officer Marvin Forbes, Colorado Springs Police Department
• Outstanding Dedication to Underage Drinking Prevention And Enforcement: Officer Bernard Henry, Denver Police Department
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Front Range, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Clinton Doren, Colorado State Patrol Troop 2B
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Front Range, Local Law Enforcement: Officer Justin Smith, Castle Rock Police Department
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Mountain, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Douglas Bell, Colorado State Patrol Troop 4B
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Mountain, Local Law Enforcement: Patrol Deputy Danny Gogolen, Summit County Sheriff’s Office
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Rural, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Scott Pointon, Colorado State Patrol Troop 2C
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Western Slope, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Ben Carnes, Colorado State Patrol Troop 4A
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Western Slope, Local Law Enforcement: Corporal Kevin Hoy, Durango Police Department
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Front Range, Colorado State Patrol: Troop 2B/2E, Colorado State Patrol
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Front Range, Local Law Enforcement: Traffic Enforcement Unit, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Mountain, Colorado State Patrol: Sergeant Tafoya’s Team, Colorado State Patrol Troop 2A
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Mountain, Local Law Enforcement: Officer Tyler Kupser, Officer Johnathan Stensvad, Officer Jeff Malchow and Sergeant Matthew Murdoch, Fraser Winter Park Police Department
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Rural, Local Law Enforcement: Officer Antonio Pici, Platteville Police Department
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Impaired Driving Enforcement — Western Slope, Colorado State Patrol: Troop 4C, Colorado State Patrol
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Front Range, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Sean Yoshimiya, Colorado State Patrol 1B
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Front Range, Local Law Enforcement: Officer Jennifer Hines, Loveland Police Department
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Mountain, Colorado State Patrol: Corporal Jason Shimp, Colorado State Patrol Troop 4B
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Rural, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Brent Crampton, Colorado State Patrol Troop 2C
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Rural, Local Law Enforcement: Officer Kyle Cooksey, Dacono Police Department
• Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection — Western Slope, Colorado State Patrol: Trooper Roger Lowry, Colorado State Patrol Troop 5C
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Occupant Protection — Front Range, Local Law Enforcement: Motorcycle Enforcement Team, Aurora Police Department
• Outstanding Team Dedication to Occupant Protection — Western Slope, Colorado State Patrol: Troop 4C, Colorado State Patrol
• Outstanding Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Kellie Eastin, First Judicial District Attorney’s Office
• Outstanding Victim Advocate: Victim Witness Specialist Lynne Gallion, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office