Three Garland police officers were honored at the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) 2017 Dallas County “Take the Wheel” Law Enforcement Awards and Appreciation Luncheon Tuesday, July 18, at the La Cima Club in Irving.
Assistant Chief Jeff Bryan, Officer Mike May and Officer Thomas Griffeth each received an award.
Assistant Chief Jeff Bryan – Diamond Hero Leadership Award Chief Bryan implemented a strategy to have all Garland Police Department patrol officers and instructors receive Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Refresher Training. He has dedicated himself to making the blood warrant and intoxilyzer process more efficient, and has arranged for additional officers to receive training writing blood warrants and intoxilyzer certification. Chief Bryan has rededicated patrol officers to increased DWI enforcement. His 2016 accomplishments include receiving special funding for DWI enforcement and related training; implementing SFST Academy Certification, SFST Practitioner Refresher, SFST Instructor Refresher and Intoxilyzer Operator Certification; and implementing new and improved DWI enforcement strategies.
Officer Mike May – Enforcement Hero Award
Aside from his impressive arrest totals, there are other aspects to Officer May’s commitment to DWI enforcement. Officer May has amassed tremendous knowledge of DWI enforcement and prosecution, and has been actively involved in assisting and training his fellow officers in these areas. He has become an expert in obtaining blood search warrants and has been a vital part of many of the department’s intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault investigations. In 2016, he made 76 DWI arrests.
Officer Thomas Griffeth – Commitment Hero Award
Officer Griffeth is an integral part of the Garland Police Department’s DWI Program. He is a NHTSA-recognized Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) Instructor, Field Training Officer and Certified Intoxilyzer Operator. Officer Griffeth spends a great deal of his time on patrol training new recruits on proper DWI detection and enforcement techniques. He also serves as an instructor for both current officers and new recruits in the Garland Police Academy. In 2015 Officer Griffeth instructed multiple SFST Certification and Refresher Courses and taught the Basic DWI Investigation Module in the academy.