Village of Mamaroneck PD Receives 3 Awards From NYS STOP-DWI

MAMARONECK, NY — A Village of Mamaroneck police officer who became an expert on subtle signs that drivers might be high on drugs was recognized, adding to the accolades for a department already being honored for its efforts to deter drunken driving.

The Village of Mamaroneck Police Department and Sgt. Andrew Benkwitt received awards from the NYS Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Impaired (STOP-DWI) Foundation. The awards were in recognition of their work promoting DWI prevention as a public priority and developing new and innovative approaches for dealing with drinking and/or drug-impaired drivers.

The department received the Law Enforcement Agency Award, which highlights an enforcement agency's efforts in deterring drunk driving.

Sergeant Andrew Benkwitt received the Drug Recognition Expert Award for his work completing DRE Evaluations as well as the Top Individual Officer Award for his efforts in deterring drunk driving.

"We are thrilled to have been recognized for our efforts in keeping people safe on our roadways," Village of Mamaroneck Police Chief Sandra DiRuzza said in a statement accepting the honor. "We are committed to preventing the senseless loss of life by people who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol."

Chief DiRuzzza, on behalf of the department, and Sergeant Benkwitt, accepted the awards at the STOP-DWI awards event last week in Albany.

As the designated public charity of NYS's STOP-DWI, the STOP-DWI program aims to reduce the number of people killed or injured in alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes, promote DWI prevention as a public priority and coordinate local efforts in law enforcement, prosecution, probation, rehabilitation, public information, education and administration.