{"id":87,"date":"2024-04-03T01:57:28","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T01:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-dakota\/?page_id=87"},"modified":"2024-05-18T21:10:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T21:10:24","slug":"ler_recognition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-dakota\/ler_recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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2024 Statewide Recognition\nAwards Event<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Statewide Recognition Awards event highlights individuals and entities that embrace MADD's mission to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.

MADD is pleased to honor and recognize each of the recipients, and nominees, for their hard work and dedication to keeping our roadways and communities safe.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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2024 award recipients<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Below are this year’s award and pin recipients accompanied by their nomination narrative.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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OUTSTANDING SERVICE<\/b> – Peace officers nominated for this award made a difference by going above and beyond in DWI enforcement.<\/p>

Officer Martin Geier – Watertown Police Department:<\/strong>\u00a0Officer Martin Geier demonstrates exceptional dedication and commitment to combating impaired driving within our community. Officer Geier consistently goes above and beyond in their efforts to keep our roads safe, displaying outstanding leadership, diligence, and professionalism in every aspect of their work. Their proactive approach to enforcement, combined with their compassion and empathy towards those affected by impaired driving, sets a remarkable example for other officers in the department. Officer Geier\u2019s tireless efforts have undoubtedly saved lives and prevented countless tragedies, making a significant and lasting impact on the safety and well-being of our community. Officer Geier’s unwavering dedication to public safety and commitment to making our roads safer exemplify the highest standards of professionalism and service within the law enforcement community.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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OUTSTANDING ROOKIE<\/b> –<\/strong> Rookie officers nominated for this award made a difference in 2023 by going above and beyond in DWI enforcement (*Rookie is defined as an officer with less than one year of service.)<\/p>

Officer Aric Homola – Belle Fourche Police Department:<\/strong> Officer Homola came out of the gates swinging in his first year as a patrol officer. In his first 9 months, he worked an average of 8 hours of Hwy Safety every week. In 2023 Officer Homola made 989 traffic stops, 20 DUI arrests, 11 drug arrests, and responded to calls for service within the city unrelated to traffic. Officer Homola, along with two other officers, tripled our DUI arrests in 2023, surpassing the 3 previous years combined, with Officer Homola leading the way. Belle Fourche is a community of less than 6500 people.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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RECREATIONAL VEHICLE SAFETY AWARD<\/b>– this award recognizes a law enforcement agency, group, or individual. The nominee(s) made a significant contribution in 2023 to reduce recreational vehicle alcohol and\/or drug impaired operation.<\/p>

Jim McCormick- Regional Conservation Officer Supervisor:\u00a0<\/strong>South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks<\/i>
Nick Harrington- Communications Manager:\u00a0<\/strong>South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks<\/i>
Sam Schelhaas- Conservation Officer Section Chief:\u00a0<\/strong>South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks<\/i>
Shannon Percy- District Park Supervisor:\u00a0<\/strong>South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks<\/i>
Joe Keeton- Conservation Officer Specialist:\u00a0<\/strong>South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks<\/i><\/p>

The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks team were crucial in the efforts to raise awareness surrounding MADD’s newest campaign focusing on Recreational Vehicle Safety. This campaign aims to educate communities on the dangers of operating boats, watercraft, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles, while impaired by alcohol or other drugs. Their partnership has helped the MADD Upper Midwest region, and the Recreational Vehicle Safety Campaign, take hold in South Dakota, providing education, awareness, and support for those impacted by substance impaired recreational vehicle crashes.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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MADD GUARDIAN AWARD <\/b>– IN LOVING MEMORY of amazing Guardian Heroes<\/p>\n

Chief Deputy Sheriff Ken Prorok – <\/strong>Moody County Sheriff’s Office<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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TOP DUI ENFORCER PIN WINNERS<\/strong><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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SILVER PIN\u00a0<\/span>(50-99 DUI Arrests)<\/h5>

Deputy Dylan Pfeilsticker (51) – <\/span>Roberts County Sheriff’s Office<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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BRONZE PIN <\/span>(24-49 DUI Arrests)<\/h5>\n

Officer Aric Homola (31) – <\/span><\/em>Belle Fourche Police Department<\/i>
Officer Seth Bonnema (30) – <\/strong>Brookings Police Department<\/em>
Officer Tucker Bedford (29) – <\/b>Sturgis Police Department<\/em>
Sergeant Danny Stacy (27) – <\/b>Sturgis Police Department<\/em>
Officer Robert Bowden (25) – <\/strong>Brookings Police Department<\/em>
Deputy Sgt. Trevor Mishler (25) – <\/strong>Roberts County Sheriff’s Office<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Contact Information<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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PO Box 91940
Sioux Falls, SD 57109
<\/strong><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> 605.309.3942
Email:<\/strong> sd.state@madd.org<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2024 Statewide Recognition Awards Event The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Statewide Recognition Awards event highlights individuals and entities that embrace MADD’s mission to end drunk driving, help fight drugged… Continue reading LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-87","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER) - South Dakota<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-dakota\/ler_recognition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER) - South Dakota\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"2024 Statewide Recognition Awards Event The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Statewide Recognition Awards event highlights individuals and entities that embrace MADD’s mission to end drunk driving, help fight drugged… Continue reading LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-dakota\/ler_recognition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Dakota\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-18T21:10:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/madd.org\/south-dakota\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/elementor\/thumbs\/MADD-Hero_2022-01-3-qn78dt5b4j08u562ei1tbk6tlgff9fhy872lnbt9sg.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/madd.org\\\/south-dakota\\\/ler_recognition\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/madd.org\\\/south-dakota\\\/ler_recognition\\\/\",\"name\":\"LAW ENFORCEMENT RECOGNITION (LER) - 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