Modified: June 12, 2023 11:06am
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz recently joined Erie County Commissioner of Central Police Services James Jancewicz, Commissioner of Probation Michelle Olszowy, Director of the Erie County STOP-DWI Office John Sullivan, and numerous law enforcement representatives and agencies at the 30th Annual STOP-DWI Awards Luncheon in West Seneca. Representatives from eighteen state, county, and local police agencies gathered at Kloc’s Grove to commend the outstanding work of patrol officers dedicated to protecting Erie County residents from the threat posed by impaired drivers.
“Significant progress has been made in the prevention of impaired driving in Erie County, thanks to the efforts of partners in law enforcement in raising awareness about it and being vigilant in looking for it on the roads,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “However, even one impaired driving fatality is one too many. I thank our law enforcement community for their dedication to keeping us all safe, for their patrol service, and for their commitment to continued training to maintain the progress we’ve made.”
Erie County Commissioner of Central Police Services James Jancewicz added, “Impaired driving remains a priority with Erie County law enforcement agencies. While demand for police service has increased in all categories, Erie County agencies have sustained their efforts to safeguard drivers and remove impaired drivers through coordinated training, sobriety checkpoints and dedicated roving patrols.”
So far this year nearly seven hundred drivers have been arrested for impaired driving in Erie County. Those convicted of DWI can expect to pay an average of $10,000 in fines and other costs and are prohibited from entering Canada for 10 years. Each Police Officer recognized at today’s awards luncheon was selected by their police chief or commanding officer for outstanding field work in both apprehension and investigation of impaired driving.
The 30th Annual STOP-DWI Awards Luncheon Honorees are:
- Officer Anthony Catania Village of Kenmore Police
- Officer Lea Stachura City of Tonawanda Police
- Officer Kevin Horvath Town of West Seneca Police
- Officer Nat Miller Town of Evans Police
- Officer Salvatore Cavalleri Town of Amherst Police
- Lt. Joseph Barnack Village of Hamburg Police
- Officer Alexandria Over Town of Cheektowaga Police
- Lt. Chris Keib Village of Depew Police
- Officer Jonathan Becker Village of East Aurora Police
- Deputy Simon Biegasiewicz Erie County Sheriff’s Office
- Trooper Justin Brackett New York State Police Troop T
- Officer Andrew Kowalski Town of Orchard Park Police
- Officer Jeremiah Walsh- Stiens Town of Tonawanda Police
- Trooper Jamie Innes New York State Police Troop T
- Officer Kevin Sullivan Town of Hamburg Police
For more information:
On the Erie County Office of Central Police Services, visit https://www3.erie.gov/cps/
On the Erie County STOP-DWI Office, visit https://www3.erie.gov/cps/stop-dwi
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