Enon Police Officer Benjamin C. Barrett was recently named “Top Cop” by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization for his outstanding work in drunk driving arrests and underage drinking awareness, and will be presented his award on Thursday, March 6 at a special luncheon in Loveland, Ohio.

Andrea Rehkamp, Director of MADD’s Southwestern Ohio Chapter, said her organization uses a three-pronged approach to curb drunk driving and underage drinking. “Our first prong is working with law enforcement to create the OVI checkpoints,” Rehkamp said. “Law enforcement is our first line of defense, and presenting our officers with this award helps to support them in what they do,” she said, adding that MADD has been giving out the Top Cop award for at least 15 years.

Rehkamp said the second and third prongs of the MADD approach involve the implementation of ignition interlock devices for all offenders convicted of OVI, and the organization is working toward installing technology in all new vehicles that would prevent the engine from starting if the driver blows higher than the legal limit.

Officer Barrett was nominated for the Top Cop award by Enon Police Chief Lew Wilcox, who said Barrett’s work with the Clark County Task Force and saturation patrols has made him an asset to the force.

Rehkamp said in 2013, Officer Barrett was responsible for six OVI arrests, three drug charges relating to OVI citations, and arresting two people on outstanding warrants. “That doesn’t sound like much, but for a village the size of Enon, that is a great record,” she said. “He constantly makes the public aware of drunk driving and underage drinking,” said Rehkamp.

Officer Barrett, a six-year veteran of the Enon Police Department, was named Top Cop in the southwestern Ohio division of MADD, which includes law enforcement agencies in 28 of Ohio’s counties.