XENIA — Xenia police officer David Elliott received an Award of Excellence from the Southwest Ohio Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.
Elliott received the award for his dedication to removing impaired drivers from the roads during the chapter’s awards banquet March 29.
“Very much a surprise and very much an honor,” he said. “A little bit of shock and embarrassment. I work with a lot of guys and gals who go out and do the exact same thing I do. To be honored amongst those people is an honor in and of itself. I’m by no means the only one in the City of Xenia making a difference in regards to impaired driving.”
Since being hired by the Xenia Police Division in 2014, Elliott has consistently been one of the XPD’s top enforcers of drunk and drugged driving. In 2017, Elliott issued 161 traffic citations. Of that number, 33, or 20 percent, were for drunk or drugged driving. Elliott also teaches OVI enforcement to the basic police academy and to other officers in the department.
“I knew I had done well,” Elliott said. “My supervisors took a tally of my stats and submitted it to MADD for review. It’s a privilege and honor to work for a department … that makes OVI and impaired driving enforcement a priority. Impaired driving enforcement makes a direct impact on the community.”
In 2017, Elliott attended a federally sponsored three-week class to become a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). The DRE designation is difficult to receive and technical training required him to complete stringent written and practical examinations. Now that he is a certified DRE, he is considered an expert in the field and has added another layer of enforcement tools to help keep impaired drivers off the roads.
