East End Officers Awarded for DWI Enforcement Efforts

Four local police officers were recently awarded by the Suffolk County Stop DWI program for their efforts in DWI enforcement.

Each of the officers recognized made the most drunken driving arrests in their respective departments in 2010.

In , Officer John Galvin was bestowed a Top Cop honor for making nearly 19 DWI arrests.

“We are very proud of Officer Galvin for his efforts in making the roads safer,” said Lieutenant Chris Iola, public information officer for the Quogue Police Department.

According to Iola, in 2010, the department, as a whole, made about 60 DWI arrests. He said that number is down from prior years.

While Iola believes that more people are complying with DWI laws, he attributes a drop in DWI arrests to the changing face of the area.

“The demographics have changed. There are not as many bars as compared to what there used to be,” he said.

Iola said the department also takes a proactive approach to curtail DWI incidents through ongoing field sobriety training for officers and sobriety check points on the village’s roadways.

, said Captain Anthony Tenaglia, were pleased to hear that Officer Joseph D’Arce was named as a Top Cop by Suffolk County.

D’Arce, Tenaglia said, made 22 arrests for Southampton Police.

“He is a very good and hard working police officer,” Tenaglia said and noted that MADD also recently honored D’Arce. 

Tenaglia said he does not yet have a full DWI report for the Town of Southampton for 2010, but said that in 2009, the department made 283 arrests, 327 in 2008 and 237 in 2007.

 The Southampton Police Department, like Quogue, is proactive in its efforts to combat DWI, he said.

In providing an example, Tenaglia said that annually the department applies for and receives a grant that allows the department to “put extra officers on duty to patrol and look for DWIs.”

“We get the officers out there as often as possible during the year, weekends and holidays, depending on what’s going on,” he said.

In the Village of Southampton, Chief Bill Wilson said the department was happy to hear that Officer Ashley Jones was honored as this year’s Top Cop by Suffolk County.

“I think it is phenomenal,” said Wilson.  “DWI enforcement is important. It saves lives.”

According to Wilson, Jones affected 33 DWI arrests in 2010 — the most of all local officers who were honored.

Talking about the department’s DWI arrest record, Wilson said that in 2010, some 104 DWI arrests were made. 

“We average between one hundred and one fifty a year,” said Wilson.

Wilson also said that the department is very cognizant of DWIs, especially during the summer.

“All officers attend specialty training and are aware of the most effective means to observe, locate and remove a drunk driver,” he said.

And with all the efforts, Wilson says he is always surprised that people still choose to drive drunk.

“With all the attention and education and enforcement, we haven’t statistically seen a drop off in DWI arrests.  It has stayed consistent. I don’t have an explanation for it,” he said.

In Westhampton Beach, Suffolk County Police say Officer Steven McManus was selected as a Top Cop for his DWI efforts.

Calls to the Westhampton Beach Police Department went unreturned.