MADD SC Presents Two Deserving DUI Awards
On April 11th, MADD SC took part in the 2017 DUI Enforcement Recognition & Law Enforcement DUI Challenge ceremony in Columbia. The ceremony is put on annually by the SC Department of Public Safety to recognize excellence in DUI enforcement. More than a dozen MADD volunteers and staff were present.
In addition to the agencies and officers recognized by the state, MADD presented two awards. The 2017 Drug Recognition Expert of the Year Award went to Michael Intini of the North Charleston Police Department. The 2017 Barry Barnette DUI Prosecutor of the Year Award went to Jessica Mangum of the City of Columbia.
Below are the comments from MADD SC Executive Director Steven Burritt, when presenting the awards:
Now we’ll move to our second ever awarding of the Barry Barnette DUI Prosecutor of the Year Award. MADD’s interest in how DUI cases are handled in the courtroom goes back to our very founding. In South Carolina, our focus is at a high point with our court monitoring programs in the 5th and 13th judicial circuits and Charleston, Berkeley, and Horry Counties where our staff and volunteers are in the courtroom and online tracking how misdemeanor cases are handled and adjudicated. We generated a great deal of media attention to our state’s struggles with the first report released last August and those reports will continue. Obviously, from misdemeanor cases all the way up to felony DUI cases, the role of a strong prosecution is key.
When creating this award, it only seemed right to name it for the man some have called the godfather of DUI prosecution in South Carolina. Barry Barnette has passionately and proficiently prosecuted DUI cases for many years, even serving as lead prosecutor in some felony DUI cases after being elected Solicitor of the 7th Circuit. He is also well known for the valuable resources and assistance he generates and makes available to prosecutors and law enforcement officers all over the state to assist in their handling of DUI cases. Solicitor Barnette, thank you for your commitment to strong DUI prosecution, and please join us up front so you can help us present this award named in your honor.
Once again, it is a true treat for us to present this award to a very deserving and talented individual. This recipient was spoken of very highly by her nominators and the commitment she has had since hire. This individual’s work ethic and integrity had not gone unnoticed, resulting in respect from those that work alongside her. An officer with the traffic unit that was part of nominating her indicated that she perhaps seemed too nice or sweet to be effective when her first met her but quickly learned that no defense attorney is likely to say either once they’ve been up against her in court. While some have a “win some, lose some” mentality, she wants to win them all! Another nominator stated that her tireless devotion has made a dramatic difference in the caliber of justice administered in the State’s busiest Municipal Court. She has helped to shape the practices of judges in her area through her advocacy for programs such as ignition interlock devices and Victim Impact Panels. There is no doubt she works hard for the families and victims she serves as well as represent her department with the upmost respect and dignity. Please join me in congratulating Jessica Mangum of the City of Columbia.
Next, we will present our second Drug Recognition of Expert the Year Award. DREs are a key tool in the fight against drugged driving, a growing issue that MADD is very passionate about being a part of the solution for. We are so grateful for our state’s growing DRE program so that drugged drivers do not escape justice just because we do not have equivalent detection technology that we have for alcohol. 
This year’s deserving recipient is evidenced by the fact that two different groups nominated him—from different parts of the state even. Our winner was the first officer in his department to get achieve DRE certification and has performed dozens of evaluations for numerous agencies. Now a DRE instructor, the time spent getting instructor certification led him to have a down year for DUI arrests for him—and he still had more than 100. His passion and drive is shown in how he educates and trains others. His dedication and commitment is seen by his impressive number of DUI arrests and DRE evaluations—22 in 2017. He has also been an outstanding friend to MADD and has been of great assistance in relaying that passion for what he does by speaking at our Victim Impact Panels in the Lowcountry. Completely unknown to our review panel, he’s also fundraised his butt off for Walk Like MADD Columbia this Saturday in honor of Ryan, Mojo, and Brandon. I am very happy to present this award to a man I have often referred to as the “gold standard” for DUI officers. This year’s DRE of the Year Award goes to Patrolman First Class Michael Intini of the North Charleston Police Department.
The full list of winners can be found here.