Southampton 'Top Cop' Lauded for Busting Most Drunk Drivers Last Year

SOUTHAMPTON, NY - The crackdown on the rash of drunk drivers on the East End continues.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Timothy Sini and Suffolk County Stop DWI representatives honored 23 police officers this week, including Officer Ashley Jones from the Southampton Village Police Department, for leading the department’s initiative to reduce drunk driving and reckless vehicular behavior this year — and saving countless lives.

The ceremony, held at the Suffolk County Police Academy at Suffolk County Community College, honored law enforcement agents who made the biggest difference in their respective communities in 2015. Each department, precinct and 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 Bellone. “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.”

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