Gathered at the Citrus Heights Community Center Tuesday afternoon, several officers of the Folsom Police Department were honored by the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) organization for their efforts in getting impaired drivers off the road.

Each year, MADD recognizes prosecutors and law enforcement officers who have made a significant impact in keeping intoxicated driver off the roadways in numerous communities. Tuesday, four Folsom Police officers were recognized for their individual apprehension and arrest of 25 DUI suspects or more in 2022. 

The local officers that were honored included Folsom Police Detective Melissa White. White arrested a total of 27 DUI drivers during a four-month assignment to patrol last year. Officer David Erler was recognized for arresting a total of 37 DUI offenders during the year.  Overall, the entire department made 269 DUI arrests in 2022.

Officer Jon-Mikkal Personius was honored for the arrest of 47 DUI offenders and Officer Ethan Vavak was recognized for making 63 DUI arrests in 2022. Folsom Police Chief Rick Hillman joined the officers at Tuesday’s event. 

Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped save more than 400,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. 

MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.  

For more information or to make a donation, visit us at https://madd.org/and follow MADD on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.