Minnesota's top DWI enforcers honored prior to Twins game
Some of Minnesota's top cops at catching drunk drivers were honored Thursday night at Target Field.
As baseball nears the Major League All-Star Break, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety recognized 39 law enforcement officers and prosecutors as DWI Enforcer All-Stars.
The best of the best, according to DPS, is Minnesota State Trooper Peter Schultz who made more DWI arrests than anyone else with 199 in 2014.
St. Paul Police Department officer Santiago Rodriguez led all metro-area agencies with 144 DWI arrests –the second straight year he has led the metro in DWI arrests. While Chad Myers of the Winona County Sheriff's Office topped the list of greater Minnesota departments with his 83 DWI arrests.
"I'm very thankful for the commitment of these officers," Donna Berger, the director of the DPS office of traffic safety said to the Pioneer Press. "How many lives they potentially saved, it's really amazing."
The ceremony at Target Field comes a week after the Fourth of July holiday, which the is the third deadliest holiday for drunk driving in Minnesota.
The enforcement efforts appear to be working, too. Officials highlight that both DWI arrests and alcohol-related traffic fatalities are on the decline. Since 2006, DWI arrests have decreased from 42,016 to 25,258. At the same time, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased by 21 percent.
The All-Stars represent 31 agencies across Minnesota. In all they made 2,281 DWI arrests across the state in 2014.
Here is the full list of DWI Enforcement All-Stars.
Greater Minnesota
- Jeff McCormack, Austin Police – 67
- Nick Bengston, Carver County Sheriff – 35
- Alex Schilke, East Grand Forks Police – 26
- Tim Dirkes, Grand Rapids Police – 36
- Quinton Pomplun, Kandiyohi County Sheriff – 30
- Michael Schei, Nobles County Sheriff – 27
- Jeff Burbank, Red Wing Police – 57
- Brady Stough, Redwood Falls Police – 17
- Doug Best, Renville County Sheriff – 17
- Mitchell Jenson, Rochester Police – 73
- Dallas Hamm, Rock County Sheriff – 17
- Brent Zuhlsdorf, Sacred Heart Police – 17
- Joe Jensen, Sauk Center Police – 28
- Cody Vojacek, Stearns County Sheriff – 54
- Ben Tureson, Thief River Falls – 24
- Jon Beck, Windom Police – 38
- Aaron Jones, Mower County Prosecutor
- Nate Timm, Goodhue Count Sheriff Drug Recognition Evaluator
- Aaron Dix, Minnesota State Patrol – 91
- Grant Feddersen, Minnesota State Patrol – 76
Twin Cities Metro Area
- Tim Tourville, Crystal Police – 45
- Brant Standridge, Dayton Police – 40
- Todd Groves, Eden Prairie Police – 65
- James W. Golgart Jr., Minneapolis Police – 90
- Jeremy Brodin, Newport Police – 42
- Alex Weber, Robbinsdale Police – 50
- Robert Calvin, Savage Police –21
- Santiago Rodriguez, St. Paul Police – 144
- Eric Gadbois, White Bear Lake – 70
- Tori Stewart, Dakota County Prosecutor
- Megan Thul, Minnesota State Patrol Drug Recognition Evaluator
- Mark Hibbard, Minnesota State Patrol – 122
- Jill Krause, Minnesota State Patrol – 127
- Andrew Martinek, Minnesota State Patrol – 118
- Kyle O'Shea, Minnesota State Patrol – 133
- Gordon Shank, Minnesota State Patrol – 184
- Peter Schultz, Minnesota State Patrol – 199
