Drunk Driving in the Hamptons: Southampton Police Officer Honored for Cracking Down on DWIs

SOUTHAMPTON, NY - A Southampton Town police officer was honored yesterday for cracking down on drunk driving in the Hamptons.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Timothy Sini and Suffolk County Stop DWI representatives honored 23 police officers, including Officer Keith Phillips from the Southampton Police Department, for leading the department’s initiative to reduce drunk driving and reckless vehicular behavior, a release said.

The ceremony, held at the Suffolk County Police Academy at Suffolk County Community College yesterday, honored law enforcement agents who made the biggest difference in their respective communities in 2015.

Each department, precinct or command nominated an officer among their ranks who arrested the highest number of DWI offenders last year.

“It is extremely important to us that motorists who are driving while intoxicated are stopped,” said Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Executive. “DWI tragedies don’t just affect those involved, they impact the families of victims as well. Suffolk County will not tolerate drunk driving on our roadways. We are committed to arresting anyone who chooses to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car, endangering the lives of others.”

Suffolk County law enforcement agencies made over 15,000 DWI arrests in the past three years.

The Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated, or STOP-DWI, program is a comprehensive program specifically designed to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and injuries in New York State, Bellone said.

The program is supported by the fines collected from individuals convicted of alcohol-related traffic infractions. STOP-DWI supports increased enforcement, "swift and certain prosecution, sound and cost effective rehabilitation, tough probation, and public information and education campaigns," Bellone said.