[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1149-E1150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE WASHINGTON REGIONAL ALCOHOL PROGRAM AND THE 2020 LAW 
               ENFORCEMENT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 15, 2020

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Washington 
Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) and their continued dedication to the 
elimination of impaired driving and underage drinking in the Washington 
metropolitan area.
  WRAP is a public-private partnership that works with law enforcement, 
community stakeholders, and advocacy groups in Northern Virginia, 
Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Through educational and innovative 
public programs, WRAP is credited with keeping Washington area alcohol 
related death rates historically below the national average. Programs 
and resources include Youth Outreach, Adult Outreach, and Public 
Education programs designed to educate students and the general public 
on the dangers of alcohol and drugs, particularly driving while under 
the influence. WRAP offers unique programs such as the WRAP Holiday 
SoberRide program, where individuals who are impaired can request a 
free safe ride home.
  In 1982, the year that WRAP was founded, 26,173 people in the United 
States lost their lives in alcohol-related car crashes; 60 percent of 
all traffic fatalities involved drunk driving. Due to the tireless 
efforts of WRAP, other organizations such as MADD and SADD, local and 
state police, and enforcement of more stringent anti-drunk driving 
laws, alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased to 9,878. WRAP 
continues to work tirelessly to ensure these statistics are not 
repeated. In fiscal year 2020, WRAP was successful in removing 2,243 
potential drunk drivers from Greater Washington's roadways during only 
two, pre-COVID WRAP SoberRide campaigns. WRAP also experienced a record 
level of ridership for Halloween which was the highest in Sober Ride's 
27-year history. In addition, WRAP reached the ``80,000-served'' level 
of total ridership for its Sober Ride program; in fact, total

[[Page E1150]]

ridership nearly tripled between 2016 and 2019.
  Since 1997, WRAP has sponsored an annual Law Enforcement Awards 
Ceremony to honor local law enforcement professionals who have gone 
above and beyond the call of duty in the fight against drunk driving. 
It is my honor to include in the Record the names of the 2020 Law 
Enforcement Award of Excellence recipients:
  Officer Anggelo Suarez--City of Alexandria Police Department
  Officer Anthony Gatto--Arlington County Police Department
  Officer Bryce Cooper--City of Falls Church Police Department
  Private First-Class Zachary Davis--City of Fairfax Police Department
  FCPD GROUP--Fairfax County Police Department
  Private First-Class Jonathan Heavner--Town of Herndon Police 
Department
  Deputy First Class Mark Sarrichio--Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
  Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace--Maryland State Police
  Officer Roderick Saunders--Metropolitan Police Department
  Corporal Patricia Cox--Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
  Officer Patrick Kepp--Montgomery County Department of Police
  Corporal Thomas Kosakowski--Prince George's County Police Department
  Officer Chad Mason--Prince William County Police Department
  Officer Aram Karapetyan--United States Capitol Police
  Officer Christopher Gogarty--United States Park Police
  Trooper Jordan Corvin--Virginia State Police
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending the 
Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) and congratulating each of 
the honorees of the 2020 Law Enforcement Award of Excellence 
recipients. I wish all of them great success in their future endeavors.

                          ____________________