1999 Winners

The commitment to safety forged by Lt. Born in 1998 among the Highway Patrol, private corporations, and the citizens of Ohio demonstrates that increased safety on the roads can be achieved through cooperative partnerships. These partnerships included the American Automobile Association; Ameritech Cellular; BP; Brickler & Eckler, LPA; Club (Winner International); Honda of America; Longaberger; McDonald’s Championship racing; Ohio Automobile Dealer’s Association (OADA); Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OH&LA); Ohio News Network; Ohio Trucking Association; State Farm Insurance; and Towing/Recovery Association of Ohio.

Lt. Born ensured motorists in every Ohio county saw larger-than-life reminders from the Patrol to buckle their safety belts during the summer of 1998. By Memorial Day weekend, a project coordinated by Lt. Born resulted in over 300 billboards, financed with drunk driver fines, erected around the state urging motorists to become a “Partner for Safety” and “Join Us” in wearing their safety belts. These billboards were visible along U.S. and state routes with a high frequency of crashes. The billboards also received positive media coverage in many areas of the state.

Chief Glenn A. Walp, Bullhead City, Arizona, Police Department

Chief Walp has received acclaim in the tri-state area (Arizona, California and Nevada) and received national recognition for his traffic safety initiatives during the 1997-98 holiday season. He was also selected as the State of Arizona Advisor to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to the National Youth Summit in Washington, DC. In order to enhance his traffic safety programs, Chief Walp pursued funding that resulted in the acquisition of a DUI enforcement utility trailer; accident reconstruction computer and software; and breathalyzer units.

Chief Walp’s traffic safety initiatives included the following:

• First-ever DUI checkpoints
• First-ever river (Colorado) DUI checkpoints
• First-ever involvement in national programs including
  • Red River Campaign
  • Operation ABC Mobilization
  • America Buckles Up Children
  • Drunk and Drugged Driving (3-D) Prevention Month
  • Lights on for Life Day
  • National Holiday Life Savers Weekend
• Creation of a Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), and Traffic Enforcement Saturation Team (TEST) program to concentrate on specific safety problems
• Bicycle safety programs
• Traffic Safety Op-eds
• Commercial truck inspections

Officer Richard S. Pepe, New York City Police Department, New York

Pepe was the originator of the Police Departments Traffic Safety display, which is presented at the New York International Auto Show. The display presents all of the department’s efforts in helping to reduce injuries and collisions as well as to help reduce the incidents of Drinking and Driving in New York City. Over 1 million visitors who visit the show see the display.

Pepe also acts as the department spokesman on traffic-related issues for visiting dignitaries and for members of other police departments and outside agencies. He has been an invited speaker at meetings conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other community-based organizations. He has been instrumental in coordinating and training members of the NYPD in being certified as Child Safety Seat Technicians and is in the forefront of Child Seat Safety concerns for the department. Pepe is also the liaison with the New York State Police on the Blue-Gray Initiative, a program that combines both resources in the area of seatbelt education and enforcement, not only during “Buckle-Up America Week” but also throughout the year.