PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

June 1, 2005

Contact: William J. Smith (718) 556-7150

District Attorney Donovan Honors NYPD and TBTA Officers for Efforts in Arresting Drunk Drivers

***Ceremony acknowledges dangerous job of officers who spearheaded 786 arrests in 2004***

STATEN ISLAND, NY – In a ceremony held today in the Office of the Richmond County District Attorney, D.A. Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. recognized the efforts of members of uniformed law enforcement who led their respective agencies in arrests of intoxicated drivers in 2004.

Honored with certificates at the ceremony were four members of the NYPD’s Highway Unit #5 (Staten Island), five officers from the Staten Island Task Force and three members of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) Police assigned to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

“These men and women place their lives on the line every time that they exercise a traffic stop on a suspected drunk driver,” stated District Attorney Donovan. “Through their commitment to public safety, nearly 800 drunk and dangerous drivers were removed from our roads last year.”

Last year the combined efforts of law enforcement resulted in a record-high 786 alcohol-related arrests on Staten Island’s roads and crossings. This tally far exceeded the totals in 2002 and 2003, when there were 626 and 665 respectively.

As part of the District Attorney’s crackdown on drunk drivers, Staten Island prosecutors have sought jail time for repeat offenders. Prior to District Attorney Donovan assuming office in January 2004, only one in six repeat drunk drivers went to jail. Now, nearly one in three repeat drunk drivers is sentenced to jail time on Staten Island. Additionally, in twelve indicted felony DWI cases disposed of last year, the D.A.’s office asked for jail time in all twelve and received a sentence of jail in all but one.

Also attending the ceremony representing the TBTA were Dan DeCrescenzo, the Operations Supervisor of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and Bob Tozzi, the facility’s General Manager. Representing the NYPD were, Captain Scott D. Greisman of the Staten Island Task Force and Lt. Joseph Bell, the commanding officer of NYPD Highway Unit #5.

Personnel Honored by District Attorney Donovan on June 1, 2005

Honored from the TBTA Police were:

• Officer Jill Rokuson – who made 25 arrests in 2004, 14 of which were for DWI.
• Officer Stephen Morella – 81 arrests in 2004, 77 of which were for DWI.
• Officer Keith McCormack – 34 arrests in 2004, 31 of which were for DWI.

Honored from the NYPD’s Highway Unit #5 were:

• Officer Henry Granda – an 18-year veteran of the NYPD who arrested 43 drunk drivers in 2004.
• Officer George Cachola – a 12-year veteran of the NYPD who arrested 25 drunk drivers in 2004.
• Officer Joseph Marino - a 14-year veteran of the NYPD who arrested 18 drunk drivers in 2004.
• Officer David Maldonado - a 9-year veteran of the NYPD who arrested 15 drunk drivers in 2004.

Honored from the NYPD’s Staten Island Task Force were:

• Sgt. Thomas Zanata – Supervisor of SITF’s DWI Unit.
• Officer Marice Chisolm – recorded 9 DWI arrests in the past year.
• Officer Shaiju Jose – recorded 12 DWI arrests in the past year.
• Officer Lael Pendleton – recorded 14 DWI arrests in the past year.
• Officer Mark Trozzo - recorded 17 DWI arrests in the past year.

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