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Survivors of drunk-driving crashes that killed loved ones presented the citations to the officers, who accounted for a major portion of DWI arrests throughout the state.
“People are never going to know about the lives that you saved,” State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes told the gathering of uniformed officers — including 30 of his own troopers — at the ceremony in South Brunswick’s Monmouth Junction.
Those troopers alone, several from Troop A, accounted for nearly 900 drunk-driving arrests last year, the colonel said.
Amid the survivors who joined the officers for the tribute breakfast at Pierre’s Restaurant was Pam Fisher, director of the N.J. Division of Highway Traffic Safety, whose car was struck by a drunk-driver’s years ago.
What made the situation more frustrating, she said, is that “the man that hit me is still on the road — and just last year, he did it again.”
The positive side, Fisher told the officers is that “the work you are doing is driving down the numbers.”
Traffic fatalities in New Jersey last year fell to 590, the lowest figure in decades, she said. Of those, Fisher noted, 152 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes — more than 25 percent.
More than a third of them were during the summer, she said.
Frightening as the one-in-four figure is, it’s actually a decrease.
“We’ve been below 30 percent for the last three years,” Fisher said.
“(But) zero is the bottom line,” she said. “We don’t want anybody to crash. We certainly don’t want them to die because they made the decision to get behind the wheel after they’ve been drinking.”
The officers honored at MADD’s 2nd Annual Law Enforcement Recognition ceremony have dedicated their livelihoods to it. These include West New York’s Timothy Letavish, Fairview’s John Pierotti, and the Port Authority’s Edwin Berdecia, all patrolmen, as well as River Vale Sgt. Robert Ryan, among the locals.
Lt. Col. Juan Mattos Jr., in a nod to his boss, said that a major reason for last year’s decrease is that, for the first time, “traffic safety received the level of recognition as the efforts to control crime in our state.”
The officers assembled, the officials from MADD, and others attending the event understand that importance, Matos said.
“Every uniformed police officer in this room today — the work you’ve done is awesome,” the lieutenant colonel said. “You definitely get it.”
Thanks to NJSP Sgt. Stephen Jones for the program below, abbreviated to include the names of the top cops from around New Jersey when it comes to locking up drunk drivers. There were 74 recipients covering all 21 counties.
Scroll down to find the officers or troopers who patrol your area.
“Pasted below are the program agenda and the names of the recipients, so find your cops and give them their due respect,” Jones said. “They put it on the line to keep you safe.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving New Jersey: 2nd Annual Law Enforcement Recognition
Colonel Joseph Fuentes New Jersey State Police
Lt. Frank McVey New Jersey State Police
Major Matt Walker New Jersey State Police
NJ State Police Color Guard
NJ State Police Pipes and Drum
Ms. Pam Fischer NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety
Chief Raymond Hayducka South Brunswick Police Department / President-Middlesex County Chiefs Assoc.
Mr. Pat Aramini New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Mr. Steven Benvenisti Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, PC / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Ms. Patricia Carroll Sovereign Bank / MADD NJ State Operating Council|
Mr. Kevin Coleman Commercial Property Network / MADD NJ State Operating Council
MSG Karin Dates New Jersey National Guard / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Ms. Maureen DeCicco, CPA Withum, Smith & Brown / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Lt. Colonel Juan Mattos, Jr. New Jersey State Police / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Chief William Moore Sea Bright Police Department / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Mr. Mitch Sklar, Esq. New Jersey State Assoc. of Chiefs of Police / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Dr. Barbara Allen Walker D.A.R.E. New Jersey / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Dr. Harvey Weingarten, MD Family Practice Physician / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Mr. George White, Esq. Law Office of George S. White, LLC / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Mr. Steven Zaffarese Zaffarese Physical Therapy / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Pierre Hage Boutros Pierre’s Restaurant / MADD NJ State Operating Council
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Branca, Sr. MADD NJ Volunteers
Ms. Maria Esteves MADD NJ Volunteer
Ms. Jill Morrison MADD NJ Volunteer
Mr. Robert Nulman MADD NJ Volunteer
Mr. George Pizzo MADD NJ Volunteer
Ms. Fran Reiss MADD NJ Volunteer
Ms. Patricia Russo MADD NJ Volunteer
2009 Honorees
Municipal Police
Ptl. Michael O’Hola Atlantic City Police Department
Ptl. Steve Meyers Beverly City Police Department
Ptl. Daniel Dewald Byram Township Police Department
Sgt. Dale Fahr Carneys Point Police Department
Ptl Matthew Thompson Clinton Police Department
Sgt. William Marshall Delran Police Department
Ptl. John Gigante Deptford Township Police Department
Ptl. Christopher Nicholas Fairfield Police Department
Ptl. John Pierotti Fairview Police Department
Ptl. Matthew DeCesari Township of Franklin Police Department
Ptl. Mathew Koc Glen Ridge Police Department
Ptl. David McNulty Hamburg Police Department
Ptl. Christopher DiMeglio Lawrence Township Police Department
Ptl. James Briggs Little Falls Police Department
Ptl. Steven Solari Little Silver Police Department
Ptl. Michael Kornblau Longport Police Department
Ptl. Jennifer Anzelone Lower Township Police Department
Ptl. Peter Manco Manchester Township Police Department
Sgt. Patrick McNichol Mendham Borough Police Department
Ptl. Eric Jacobsen North Brunswick Police Department
Ptl. Michael Cedar North Haledon Police Department
MPO I-Keith McGee North Wildwood Police Department
Ptl. Christopher Malcolm Oxford Township Police Department
Ptl. Raymond Kern Pennsauken Township Police Department
Lt. John Conway Perth Amboy Police Department
Ptl. Jason York Pine Beach Police Department
Ptl. Joseph Canonica Raritan Township Police Department
Capt. Darren McConnell Red Bank Police Department
Sgt. Robert Ryan River Vale Police Department
Ptl. Michael Hatzmihalis Rockaway Township Police Department
Ptl. Joshua Medrano Roselle Park Police Department
Ptl. Robert Brown City of Salem Police Department
Ptl. Frederick Fitten South Bound Brook Police Department
Sgt. Robert Kelly Stratford Police Department
Ptl. Jorge Porres Union City Police Department
Ptl. William Newman Vineland Police Department
Ptl. Mark Hasenpat Wenonah Police Department
Ptl. Timothy Letavish West New York Police Department
Port Authority Police
Ptl. James Hartnett Delaware River Port Authority Police
Ptl. Matthew Weachter Delaware River Port Authority Police
Ptl. Edwin Berdecia The Port Authority Police
College/University Police
Ptl. John Turner The College of New Jersey Police Dept.
Ptl. Christopher Graham Richard Stockton College Police Dept.
Ptl. Nicholas Cevasco Rutgers College Police Dept.
New Jersey State Police
Trooper Aaron Abbate Troop A AC Expressway
Trooper Paul Applegate Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Jason Bobo Troop A Woodstown Station
Trooper Garrett Cullen Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Ricardo Diaz Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Michael Doble Troop A AC Expressway
Trooper David Engelhard Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper I- Joseph Farina Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Rodrick Jones Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Kenneth Langefeld Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Ronald Lawrence Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Colin McNulty Troop A AC Expressway
Trooper Dale Pearce Troop A AC Expressway
Trooper Christopher Roche Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Andrew Saul Troop A AC Expressway
Trooper Ryan Stec Troop A Tactical Patrol
Trooper Matthew Walz Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Fausto Zapata Troop A Bellmawr Station
Trooper Edward Schmalz Troop B Netcong Station
Sgt. Frank Moore Troop C Bordentown Station
Trooper I- Joseph Nitti Troop C
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