Mad About Them

When Santa Ana policeman Mark Bishop cruises the streets looking for drunk drivers, he knows what to watch for. “They stop well ahead of a red light. Straddle lanes. Weave.”

This year, Bishop made 227 arrests for drunk driving--more than any other Orange County officer. “I don’t like drunk drivers,” said Bishop, 44. “If I can get one or two off the road each night, it makes everybody’s life easier.”

Bishop was among 15 Orange County officers who received Century Awards from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) during a recent luncheon at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda. The officers were recognized because they had made at least 100 DUI (driving under the influence) arrests during the past year. Eleven district attorneys also were presented with 1999 Diligent Prosecution awards.

Anaheim police officer Allen Eichorn, 47, received MADD’s National President’s Award for outstanding law enforcement. He is one of two officers in the country to receive the recognition.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Eichorn, who has made 1,300 drunk driving arrests in the past six years. “But this is something that has come as part of my job--not something I sought out.”

Arresting drivers under the influence of alcohol has given Eichorn his “niche in life,” he said. “I’m good at it. I look for the proverbial needle in a haystack--the impaired driver. When I get that person off the street, I save his life and the lives of others. That’s the basic gratification for me.”

It’s an individual’s choice to drive while under the influence of alcohol, Eichorn observed. And MADD’s mission is to help individuals make the choice not to drive under those circumstances.

“But there’s an even bigger picture,” he said. “Society finds it socially acceptable to go to a Thanksgiving celebration, for example, and have a few glasses of wine or go to a sporting event and toss down some beers--and then get on the road. Until society stops approving of that behavior, we’re going to have the problem.”

Since his 20-year-old daughter, Danielle, was killed by a drunk driver three years ago, Raymond Voisine of Dana Point has volunteered with MADD, helping police officers conduct sobriety checkpoints in Orange County.

“When I first lost my daughter, I had to go to the trial [of the drunk driver] and representatives of MADD met me at the courthouse and supported me,” said Voisine, who is postmaster of Dana Point. “That helped a lot.”

Danielle--Voisine’s only child--was in the passenger seat of a car on the freeway heading for San Francisco when a drunk driver crossed the median.

“The car was hit head-on,” Voisine said. “Danielle took the full impact.” Volunteering for MADD is helping him find redemption in his daughter’s death. “You try to keep their name alive and get the message across for people to learn to say no,” he said. “People have to learn to say no. If they knew the pain those of us who have lost loved ones go through--there’s not a day that goes by when we don’t feel it. Some days are better than others, but . . . the holidays are the worst time of the year.”

Since it was founded in 1980, MADD has established 600 chapters and community action teams throughout the country. “We now have representation in all 50 states,” said MADD chairwoman Patricia Eichorn, who is not related to Allen Eichorn. “Our goal is threefold: Stop drunk driving. Support the victim of the violent crime. Prevent underage drinking.”

If not for the diligence of officers such as those honored at the awards ceremony, MADD would not be as successful, Eichorn said. “We can’t say enough about the wonderful things law enforcement has done. To those officers, MADD says, ‘Thank you for everything you do--thank you for putting your lives on the line.’ ”

Award winners also included the following Santa Ana police officers: Allen Duarte, Keith Meter, Mark Webster, Michael Cavanaugh, Patrick Williams, Sergio Enriquez, Aaron Knarr and Mark Peterson.

Officers Clifford Pratt of Anaheim; Steve Haro of San Juan Capistrano; and Victor Bakkila, Tony Yannizzi and Michael Yamada of Costa Mesa also were honored.

Christmas Themes

More than 600 supporters of Camino Health Center Auxiliary gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point for its 15th annual benefit luncheon and fashion show Tuesday. Proceeds of about $70,000 will be used to support the San Juan Capistrano health center’s pediatric dental clinic for the underinsured. “We have two full-time dentists for our pediatric patients--and that’s a real blessing to the community,” auxiliary president Barbara Townsend said.

On view at the gala event, besides the latest in holiday wear from South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa: vignettes depicting a variety of holiday themes--everything from an Austin Powers Christmas to a glittering New Year’s Eve celebration titled “Millennium--One Night in a Thousand Years.”

Guests took chances on winning the contents of the vignettes--each came with hundreds of items donated by Orange County vendors.

Getting retailers to donate to the project was an easy task, auxiliary member Diane Blackburn said. “I told them how wonderful our auxiliary is--that we help provide health care to people in the community who can’t afford it. Everybody wants to give to that.” Linda Berkshire was event chairwoman.

Supporting the Arts

Local businesses were honored for their partnerships with Orange County arts organizations Sunday at the 18th annual Business in the Arts awards.

Staged at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club by the Orange County Business Committee for the Arts, the event recognized the following businesses: Salvatore Ferragamo; First American Trust; Boeing Co.; Edison International; Glabman’s Furniture; KMPG; Deloitte & Touche; Latham and Watkins; Rutan & Tucker; AT&T; and First American Financial Corp.

The St. Joseph Ballet received the 1999 Arts Award, which was accompanied by a $2,500 cash grant underwritten by Deloitte & Touche.

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Ann Conway can be reached at (714) 966-5952 or by e-mail at ann.conway@latimes.com.