MADD 'Light of Hope' Honors Top Cops

The annual “Light of Hope” Ceremony of the St. Mary Parish Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving took place Monday at the Lamp Post in Franklin.
Morgan City Police Officer Justin Hudson took home the 2019 award of “Top Cop,” for most DUI arrests between 2018 and 2019, as well as were 10 other officers honored from six parish-wide law enforcement agencies, each for their contributions in DUI arrests.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith gave the evening’s keynote address, and an annual candle lighting ceremony was observed in memory of victims of impaired drivers.
In Smith’s address, he defined DUI stops as one of the most dangerous parts of a law enforcement officer’s job. He acknowledged the negative characteristics of such stops as the drivers’ desperation, impaired judgement, fear and misunderstanding at the time of the stop, all of which he said demand to be taken into account.
“In law enforcement, there are a lot of things we are called upon to do,” Smith said, “and stopping impaired driving is one of the most dangerous jobs that we have because you never know what the outcome will be.
“But the most important thing about making that stop is that we may have saved somebody’s life.”
Smith said that every officer that stops a driver for a DUI offense, in his eyes, is a hero.
He went on to touch on a personal experience of his in which he was struck by a drunk driver.
He said to the officers in attendance, “I was hit by a drunk driver, in my police car.
“You all are my heroes. You are my heroes. And I want you to keep that thought when you leave here today. You are somebody’s hero, because you don’t know whose life you may have saved by stopping that person who was driving while impaired.
“So, peace be with you, congratulations, and God bless.”
Lena Henry, representative of the St. Mary Parish Red Ribbon Committee, reported the 2019 parish DUI statistics.
“Actual records from Morgan City, Berwick, Franklin, Chitimacha and St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office,” she said, “show a total of over 138 arrests for driving while intoxicated. This figure reflects a decrease of 93 arrests from the previous year.”
She explained, “We had a decrease this year, and that’s telling us that our streets and roads are clearer of DUI drivers.”
Event Co-Sponsor Diane Wiltz offered some remarks at the close of the candle lighting ceremony.
She said, “Our officers and our law enforcers live and work on a daily basis with the challenges before them of people who choose to be reckless with their choices.
“I don’t imagine that people get in their vehicles and think, ‘I’m going to go have a drink and kill somebody,’ but it happens, and it happens ever so quickly.
“So, thank you, thank you, thank you; to all our law enforcement people.
“You protect us all, and we appreciate you, and this event was just our small way of saying we do appreciate what you do. And to your husbands and wives and children: We appreciate what you do, too.”