People / Spotlight on achievers

Orange County law enforcement officers who led their colleagues in arrests of intoxicated drivers in the past year were honored Thursday by Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Orange County chapter.

Santa Ana Police Officer Greg Maciha was given special recognition because he has arrested 317 drunk drivers in 1996--more than any other officer in the county.

The other officers honored were: Bob Landman and Mike Hallinan of the Irvine police; Paul Wester, Greg Dixon, Mike Kelley, Steve Haro, Joe Hatley and Lorene Hatley of the Santa Ana and San Juan Capistrano bureaus of the California Highway Patrol; Michael Christ of the Huntington Beach police; Floyd Waldron and Michael Yamada of the Costa Mesa police; John Scott, Seal Beach police; Mike McKernon, Allen Eichorn and Richard Estrada, Anaheim police; Andrew Goodrich, of Fullerton police; Todd Carpenter of Garden Grove police; and Sean Williamson and David DeSchepper, Westminster police.

Estrada, Eichorn and Williamson made 286, 203 and 201 drunk driving arrests, respectively. The other officers each made more than 100 arrests, MADD officials said. The officers were honored at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda.

Highway Patrol Officer Don J. Burt, who was killed in the line of duty in July, was honored for having made 62 drunk driving arrests from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996. Burt’s family accepted the award at Thursday’s event.

In addition to the officers’ awards, MADD also honored 12 deputy district attorneys for their “unrelenting efforts and compassion” toward victims of drunk drivers, said Reidel Post, MADD executive director.

The prosecutors are Colin Bilash, Dennis Conway, Mike Fell, Terry Hicks, Mike Murray, Randy Payne, Scott Peterson, Donald Schweitzer, Scott Scoville, Orange County Supervisor-elect Todd A. Spitzer, Joel Stone and Larry Yellin.