Patrick, Brown win Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Awards

More than 170 Kentucky state and local law enforcement officers were recently honored for extraordinary efforts to protect motorists from impaired drivers, including Williamsburg Police Officer Dorman Patrick Jr. and Corbin Police Patrolman Chris Brown.

Dorman Patrick

The occasion was the Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Awards, which was held at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington and hosted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Office of Highway Safety.

“Our law enforcement are the heroes who work to keep our families safe by ensuring impaired drivers are removed from our roadways,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. “Their efforts are saving lives, and we are grateful for their dedication to the commonwealth and our people.”

Awards were presented to those with the most impaired-driving arrests in each agency and in each division from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.

Award recipients received a plaque, while the top division winner was presented with the Highway Safety All-Star Award – a commemorative baseball bat from Louisville Slugger. There are six divisions, broken down by number of officers within the agency, and a division for Kentucky State Police (KSP).

“The Williamsburg Police Department would like to congratulate Officer Dorman Patrick Jr. for winning the 2023 Governor’s Award, for outstanding achievement in Impaired Driving Enforcement. This is the fourth year that Officer Patrick has received this award and led the department in apprehending the most impaired drivers from the streets and roads of Williamsburg and Whitley County,” the Williamsburg Police Department wrote in a release.

“Driving under the influence is a highway to jail, or often ends in a death zone. WPD will stay committed in our efforts to prevent senseless tragedies, by aggressive and strict DUI enforcement in the years to come.”

Other officers with area ties, who received awards, include: Barbourville Police Patrolman Colby Patterson, KSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Central Region Sgt. Michael Hamblin, KSP Post 10 (Harlan) Trooper Joshua Jones, KSP Post 11 (London) Trooper Steve Walker, Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Tommy Houston, and London Police Sgt. Drew Jackson.

Patterson was the Division One award winner and Walker was the Division Six award winner. Division One is for departments with one to 10 officers. Division Six is for Kentucky State Police.

According to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS), last year in Kentucky there were 4,127 total crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 1,990 injuries and 189 deaths.

“Too many families have lost loved ones due to this selfish act,” said KOHS Executive Director Bill Bell. “Our office will continue to support law enforcement efforts to remove impaired drivers from our roads, including providing federal funds for additional enforcement during this holiday season.”

The KOHS, Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement agencies are partnering for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over holiday enforcement campaign. Officers will be out Dec. 13, 2023, through Jan. 1, 2024, watching for any moving hazardous violation, with an emphasis on impaired driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds the campaign and reports high-visibility enforcement reduces impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.