MADD of Long Island honors local officers

Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Long Island held its annual Law Enforcement Recognition Luncheon on March 24, at Chateau La Mer in Lindenhurst, to honor officials and more than 50 police officers from Nassau and Suffolk counties who are dedicated to drunken-driving enforcement, prosecution and education over the past year. MADD’s mission is to eliminate drunken driving, assist victims of DWI incidents and prevent underage drinking, and the annual event is part of its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.

“MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving endorses and encourages high-visibility law enforcement and continuing diligence on the part of our police, prosecutors and probation professionals,” said Margaret Rebholz, the event’s chairwoman. “This annual event is our way of saying thanks to those who dedicate their lives to this important work.”

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano was honored with MADD’s Service Award, which recognizes an individual’s effort to prioritize MADD’s mission. Thomas McCoy, executive director of MADD of Long Island, said Mangano received the award because he created the Alcohol Interlock Monitoring program for Nassau County law enforcement agencies, which tracks how many ignition interlocks are ordered by judges and how they are implemented on offenders’ vehicles. Mangano also facilitated the creation of the MADD Garden of Hope, a memorial garden at Eisenhower Park.

County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey received the Dedication to MADD Award, which honors long-term dedication to MADD’s mission. McCoy said that Mulvey, who is retiring, was given the award for keeping DWI enforcement high on his agenda throughout his career.

Maureen McCormick, Nassau County’s chief of vehicular crimes, received MADD’s Unsung Hero Award, which recognizes an individual who has gone beyond the requirements of his or her position to assist in MADD’s mission, McCoy said. “She is always available to MADD, quick to respond, always there to assist, provide information and explanation,” McCoy said of McCormick, adding that she helped spearhead the implementation of Leandra’s Law, also known as the Child Passenger Protection Act, which made drunk driving with a passenger who is 15 or younger a felony on the first offense in New York state.

Several law enforcement officers from Nassau and Suffolk counties received MADD Law Enforcement Recognition Awards for their efforts in DWI enforcement, prosecution and monitoring, which takes into account the number of DWI arrests they made during the year. They included officer Rubens Edouard of the Nassau County Police Department’s 5th Precinct, in Elmont. Edouard, a member of the department for seven years, said he was almost killed in 2005, when he was in his vehicle and was hit by a drunk driver. Fortunately, he suffered only minor bruises.

“I’ve seen too many innocent people get killed by drunk drivers,” Edouard said, adding that he was honored to receive a MADD award. “It’s great; it shows that the hard work we do pays off, even though when I work, I don’t have that in mind.”

Sue Ciano, the widow of Glen Ciano, a Suffolk County police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2009 by a convicted drunk driver, spoke about the importance of MADD of Long Island and the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. Ciano was on the way to assist a fellow officer who had stopped a vehicle with stolen license plates when his patrol car was struck by a vehicle making a left turn onto Commack Road from Vanderbilt Parkway. The patrol car was pushed off the road by the force of the collision and hit a utility pole, bursting into flames and killing Ciano.

For additional information about MADD Long Island, visit www.longislandmadd.org.