By Brian McBride

Associate Editor

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office was recently honored by a state anti-drunk driving organization for its efforts in taking drunk drivers off the road, while three deputies were personally recognized for making at least 100 DUI arrests in 2010.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office DUI Enforcement Unit shared top merits from Mothers Against Drunk Driving with the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office in the state for Outstanding Dedication to Sobriety Checkpoints. The agencies tied for first place out of eight nominees and the Osceola agency received a plaque for its work.

“The Sheriff’s Office has an extremely dedicated and highly trained DUI Enforcement Unit,” Sheriff Bob Hansell said. “I am proud of the accomplishments of my DUI Unit. The Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to making our roadways safe and we will continue to do so.”

The Sheriff's Office only did one checkpoint last year, but the award was based on overall coordination and effectiveness of the operation and not based on the number of arrests made by the agency, Sheriff's Office officials said. The checkpoint, last year called “Oberry’s,” was conducted with approximately 100 Sheriff's Office officials. It was five hours long, resulting in 23 arrests (nine DUIs) after 1,522 vehicles passed through the checkpoint. The Sheriff's Office did not want to disclose the location in case of future enforcements planned.

Checkpoint locations are chosen for various reasons including deputy safety and enforcement effectiveness based on historical data, Sheriff's Office officials said. In addition, the location needs to be able to handle the amount of traffic projected. The agency also looks at prior DUI arrests and citations, as well as accidents.

This was the third time the checkpoint was conducted at the “Oberry's” location in a five-year period. Statistics showed that the Sheriff's Office was making advancements in curbing drunk driving.

Although the vehicle count was up 79 percent last year compared to 2006, the arrests were down by 0.43 percent. That checkpoint was five hours long, resulting in 41 arrests (eight DUIs) with 847 passing through the checkpoint. Of those drivers, 0.94 percent were arrested for drunk driving, while in 2010, it was only 0.59 percent.

“We, at the Sheriff’s Office take DUI enforcement very seriously and if you are caught driving impaired, you will go to jail,” Hansell said.  “It’s all about saving lives.”

In addition, three deputies received the Century Achievers Award for making more than 100 DUI arrests in 2010. They were Deputy Jacqueline Molzer (110), Deputy Jason Teems (100) and Deputy Joseph Lofoco (101).

“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office DUI Enforcement Unit aggressively patrols the roads of Osceola County in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the roads to improve the safety of our citizens and visitors. Their recognition is the result of hard work and dedication,” Hansell said.