Local officers recognized for efforts to keep drunk drivers off the roads and waterways

Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.
·2 min read

Jul. 20—Two officers with the Lodi Police Department were honored on Tuesday for their efforts to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Officers Branden Honeycutt and Calvin Aubrey were recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving during an awards ceremony at the Citrus Heights Community Center. Honeycutt was recognized for making 61 DUI arrests in 2002 and was also nominated for MADD's 2022 Officer of the Year. Aubrey had 26 arrests of DUI drivers last year.

San Joaquin County Sheriff's Deputy John Canepa received the Top BUI (boating under the influence) Arresting Officer award for the second straight year after making 33 arrests, and Deputy Brian Merritt was recognized for his 14 BUI arrests.

Galt Police Officer Michael Little was also honored.

California Highway Patrol's Stockton division came away with numerous awards, including Officer Antonio Galindo being named the Top Cop for making the most DUI arrests in Northern California at 128. Officer Heidi Clayton was awarded Outstanding Officer of the Year and Officer Amir Khan was recognized for his 39 DUI arrests.

Officer Ruben Jones was the recipient of the Outstanding Public Information Officer award.

DUI checkpoint

this weekend

The Lodi Police Department will conduct a DUI Checkpoint from 7 p.m. on July 22 to 3 a.m. on July 23 at an undisclosed location in the city.

Checkpoint locations are based on incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road, police said.

The department wants to remind the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.