Rockland County Stop DWI Office Announce Stop DWI 2021 Award Recipients

By M. C. Millman

The Rockland County Stop DWI Office announced the annual Stop DWI 2021 award recipients on Wednesday, July 27. The four awards go to the officers and departments responsible for the highest number of arrests of those driving under the influence. 

Driving under the influence includes not only drunk driving but distracted driving, such as someone texting or other forms of impaired driving. This could include impairment from taking prescription or over-the-counter drugs or from marijuana. 

The following are the 2021 Stop DWI awards

-  2021 Stop DWI Top Cop: Ramapo Police Department Officer William O’Connor for the

-  2021 Stop DWI Top Deputy: Rockland County Sheriff’s Patrol Deputy Eric Thayer 

-  2021 STOP DWI Top Trooper: Kenneth W. Sincerbox of the New York State Police  

-  2021 Stop DWI Top Department: Town of Ramapo Police Department 

“I am glad these gentlemen get recognized,” Albert DelPrincipio, Coordinator for Stop DWI and Traffic Safety for the County of Rockland, shared with Rockland Daily,  “as they did an outstanding job during 2021  - well and above the average officer. It’s important that people know that Rockland County is active in stopping impaired driving. It’s a major goal of my dept and of County Executive Ed Day, who supports us tremendously.”

Awardees have been invited to stop by the Fire Training Center in Pomona to receive their award between August 17 and September 5, which correlates with the kick-off of the 2022 Nationwide Impaired Driving Engagement Mobilization  “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” program.

The Rockland County Stop DWI office gives all departments of the Rockland County police and sheriffs departments all the equipment necessary to conduct any stops. The Stop DWI office also supports the same departments throughout the year, whenever there is a campaign or when the police departments want to maintain high visibility involving sobriety checks and checkpoints at critical times during the year.

“This program is truly important to Ed Day,” says DelPrincipio. “We are very fortunate that in Rockland County, since I’ve been here the last year, with all the funding, education, and enforcement, there hasn’t been a fatality. This makes it worth every penny in our budget.”