Officers Honored for Driving Enforcement

Officers from 13 Bucks County municipal police departments received awards Tuesday for their outstanding involvement in the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Program.

Funded by PennDOT, the program is a statewide effort to address the leading factor in Pennsylvania highway fatalities. Last year, 800 of the 1,324 highway deaths in the state were due to aggressive driving alone, according to PennDOT.

The recent death of MTV reality star Ryan Dunn puts a face to one of the statistics. Driving intoxicated at more than 130 mph in a 55 mph zone on a Chester County highway, the “Jackass” star crashed his Porsche in the early hours of June 20, killing both Dunn and his friend and passenger Zachary Hartwell.

Officers participating in the aggressive driving enforcement program target violators including drivers who run stop signs or red traffic lights, pass in no-passing zones, change lanes improperly, speed and tailgate.

This year, the additional traffic enforcement also led to 171 felony arrests, 1,683 DUI arrests and 553 drug-related arrests – arrests that help to prevent unfortunate outcomes like Dunn’s, officials said.

We "strive towards safety on the roadways,” said officer Victoria Hoffman of Warminster Township Police Department, who was awarded for her organizational role in the program’s execution. “It was nice to be thanked for doing all that work.”

Gordon Beck, of PennDOT’s partner organization Buckle Up PA, awarded the officers, who were each nominated by their department chiefs, during a brief ceremony at the Bucks County Emergency Services Training Center on Tuesday.

Officer William Mokriski of Doylestown, Officer Christopher Forbes of Buckingham, Detective James Schrimer of Upper Southampton, Officer Brian McMahon of Bensalem and Hoffman, a Patrolman on the Warminster force, were among those awarded.

But after the exchange of certificates, handshakes and a few photos, it was back to work for the officers as the intimate ceremony turned quickly into a meeting.

“This is ongoing,” Hoffman explained simply of their endeavors to minimize aggressive driving.  

But while the officers have little time to observe their own successes, PennDOT officials made sure they recognized, even for just a few minutes before a meeting, the officers who are working to keep Pennsylvania drivers safe.