Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) honored and recognized 33 individuals from law enforcement, media, volunteers, and other individuals who have made substantial efforts in supporting the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® at MADD’s annual Heroes Banquet. The event was held in Springfield, IL, at Northfield Inn & Suites, Saturday, August 20, 2016. Governor Bruce Rauner was in attendance to applaud the winners’ efforts.
Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sergeant Kristopher Schmidt, Morrison, IL, was so honored.
A total of 33 individuals were recognized for their efforts in drunk driving prevention at the banquet. It was funded by Federal highway safety funds, through a grant provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation. These individuals were recognized for their outstanding enforcement efforts, prevention of underage drinking, victim support, or other contributions to MADD’s mission.
In addition, the 2016 winner of the Brian McMillen Award was presented to Officer Tony Ikis of the River Grove, IL, Police Department. The Brian McMillen Award recognizes a DUI enforcer who represents integrity and service above self and excellence in the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. The award is dedicated to Illinois State Trooper Brian McMillen, who was killed in the line of duty by two drunk drivers, nearly nine years ago in central Illinois.
“Now, more than ever, we at MADD feel that it is paramount that we support the men and women of the law enforcement community. This Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet is an acknowledgement and thank you for the efforts of our law enforcement heroes,” said Sam Canzoneri, State Executive Director of MADD Illinois.
Two-in-three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. An injury due to a drunk driving crash happens every two minutes, and a fatality takes someone’s life every 53 minutes on average. Enforcement and continuous support of MADD’s mission is crucial to preventing drunk driving. About one-third of drunk driving crashes and arrests come from repeat offenders. In 2014 alone, 9967 people were killed and about 290,000 were injured due to this 100% preventable crime.
MADD compassionately serves a victim every 15 minutes.
MADD is instrumental in drunk driving prevention and has made strides with its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. The campaign, launched in 2006, aims to keep roads safe and save lives, by supporting the heroes who work hard in DUI prevention and awareness and high-visibility law enforcement, implementing the use of ignition interlock devices, and turning cars into the cure. This is through development of technology, that automatically determines whether or not the driver blows a legal limit of .08. It fails to operate if the driver is impaired.