DUI Association Honors 26 Law Enforcement Officers; 14 Pennsylvania State Troopers Among Recipients of 2003 DUI Top Gun Awards HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Fourteen Pennsylvania State Police troopers were among 26 law enforcement officers honored by a statewide association for their efforts to combat drinking and driving in Pennsylvania, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller said today. The Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Association, a professional organization founded in 1979 to reduce deaths and injuries resulting from DUI, presented its "2003 DUI Top Gun Awards" during a ceremony in Lancaster. "Law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania deserve a thank you for their work in reducing the threat of impaired drivers on our roads," said C. Stephen Erni, the association's executive director. Erni said each law enforcement honoree received a portable Intoximeter breath-test device for use in DUI-enforcement activity. State Police troopers honored were Tpr. Christopher A. Filer and Tpr. Eric Miller, Troop D, Mercer; Tpr. Craig R. Finkle, Troop H, Chambersburg; Tpr. Jeffrey C. Flowers and Tpr. Todd A. Sherle, Troop A, Somerset; Tpr. David J. Hamer and Tpr. Jeffrey L. Wirth, Troop B, Belle Vernon; Tpr. Joseph A. Loughran, Troop G, Hollidaysburg; Tpr. Henry C. Moretti, Troop D, Butler. Also, Tpr. John E. Pash, Troop B, Uniontown; Tpr. Victor J. Sternby and Tpr. Mark S. Temel, Troop E, Meadville; Tpr. Robert T. Thompson, Troop E, Girard; Tpr. Robert L. Wetzel, Troop B, Washington. Also honored were Officer Warren S. Cornelious, Camp Hill Police Department; Officer Stephen P. Curley, Upper Moreland Township Police Department; Patrolman Darryl Hankins, Leetsdale Police Department; Officer Scott J. Harding, Brentwood Police Department; Patrolman Michael Kenderski, Allentown Police Department; Officer Richard A. Mirarchi, South Whitehall Township Police Department. Also, Officer William C. Muse, State College Police Department; Patrolman Robert L. Ressler, West Shore Regional Police Department; Officer Lawrence Rubas, Upper Moreland Township Police Department; Waterways Conservation Officer Joseph P. Russell, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; Officer Donald Schwab, Bensalem Township Police Department, and Officer Todd C. Smith, Upper Moreland Township Police Department. The association also presented a DUI Top Gun Award to George C. Geisler Jr. of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Bureau of Law Enforcement. Erni said Geisler was cited for his efforts in securing funding to provide each of the Commission's waterways conservation officers with a portable breath-testing device and to outfit many of their patrol vessels with video cameras. Erni said waterways conservation officers made 70 boating under the influence arrests in 2002. Members of the Pennsylvania DUI Association include criminal justice system professionals, business and industry representatives, and drug and alcohol treatment professionals. The association's activities include providing training to highway safety personnel, developing and distributing resource materials, and coordinating the state Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) office. Additional information about the association is available at http://www.padui.org/. CONTACT: Tpr. Linette G. Quinn or Jack J. Lewis, Pennsylvania Department of State Police, +1-717-783-5556. DATASOURCE: Pennsylvania State Police Department CONTACT: Tpr. Linette G. Quinn or Jack J. Lewis, Pennsylvania Department of State Police, +1-717-783-5556 Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/ http://www.padui.org/

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