MADD July 2021 Officer of Month
Lieutenant Joshua Battista
Goose Creek, SC Police Department
MADD National proudly selects Lieutenant Joshua Battista as our Officer of the Month for July 2021. Lieutenant Battista supervises the Traffic Unit of the Goose Creek, South Carolina Police Department. They exercise a zero-tolerance policy with regard to driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other substances. Under his supervision, Lieutenant Battista’s team was responsible for the following statistics between July 2019 through June 2021:
- Total Citations written: 13,308
- Citations written for DUS for DUI: 29
- Citations Written for Habitual Offender: 14
- DUI Citations: 208
- DUAC (Possibly from a plea bargain): 58
- Felony DUI: 1
- Child Endangerment: 7
- Open Container: 53
- Broken Seal on Legal Liquor: 26
In addition to his strong support of the work done by the offices of his Traffic Unit, Lieutenant Battista is a compassionate supporter of victims of DUI crashes.
Stacy Keller from Berkeley Community Mental Health wrote this about how often Lt. Battista has gone above and beyond to help victims of DUI. In her words, “Lt. Battista’s commitment to not only the physical, but emotional well-being of our community members gives testament to the daily compassion and empathy he demonstrates as a personal requirement to his daily work.”
The City of Goose Creek Special DUI Prosecutor states that, “Lt. Battista goes above and beyond to keep victims/and or their families informed through the legal process while also providing them outlets for services such as mental health to help address their emotional needs as well.
Lieutenant Battista received the South Carolina MADD Compassionate Hero Award in 2021.
We are proud to select Lieutenant Joshua Battista of the Goose Creek Police Department as the MADD July Officer of the Month. We thank him for his dedication to duty and his compassion for victims of impaired driving. We wish him the best in safety and wellness in the remaining years of his career and service to the citizens of South Carolina and the City of Goose Creek.
Thank you to Steven Burritt, MADD Regional Executive Director for North Carolina/South Carolina, for his nomination of Lieutenant Battista for this recognition.
