27 Nebraska State Troopers have been honored for their efforts to remove impaired drivers from the road as well as educate the public about the dangers of drunk driving.
The troopers were presented Hero Awards by Mothers Against Drunk Driving during a ceremony held Tuesday at Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln. MADD honors law enforcement across the state for their daily work to keep drunk or drugged drivers off Nebraska roadways.
“This is a proud day for our NSP team, thanks to incredible work by our troopers across the state,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “These honors from MADD are a great recognition for the constant work it takes to keep roads safe, but they also serve as a reminder that the job is ongoing. We salute MADD for their invaluable work to keep the topic of impaired driving at the forefront of the safe-driving conversation.”
The troopers honored were:
Troop H – Lincoln
Sgt. Michael Thorson
Trp. Ben Nguyen
Trp. Jamieson Brown
Trp. Nathan Knudson
Trp. Ethan Schroeder
Troop C – Grand Island
Trp. Ryan Stirn
Trp. Luke Kelley
Trp. Brandon Sutton
Trp. Zach Lorang
Trp. Cody Cassidy
Trp. Matthew Richardson
Trp. Jordan Girardi
Trp. Kyle Gaudreault
Troop E – Scottsbluff
Trp. Isaiah Jaramillo
Trp. Timothy Flick
Troop B – Norfolk
Sgt. Ben Brakenhoff
Sgt. John Mobley
Sgt. Jesse Pfeifer
Trp. Ray Johnson
Trp. Kristen McCrea
Trp. Andrew Bestenlehner
Trp. Bryan Wiggins
Trp. Dan Osuna-Salazar
Trp. Madison Reynoldson
Trp. Eric Kloster
Trp. Kayla Reicks
Trp. Tyler Mann
In 2020, NSP troopers arrested nearly 1,000 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They also conduct hundreds of events across the state each year to educate Nebraska’s youth about the dangers of drinking and driving. So far in 2021, troopers have made more than 850 DUI arrests.
MADD also honored officers, deputies, and advocates from several other agencies and organizations around the state.
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