For the deputies who work Harris County roads after dark, an impaired-driving arrest can look routine from the outside — a traffic stop, an investigation, an arrest and another report to complete before the shift ends.

But the reason behind that work is much larger.

Members of Harris County Constable Precinct 4 were recognized this week during a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Law Enforcement Recognition Banquet for their efforts throughout 2025 to identify impaired drivers and keep them off local roadways. The recognition comes against a sobering backdrop: Harris County recorded 3,090 crashes involving drivers under the influence of alcohol in 2025, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Those crashes included 126 fatal crashes and 138 deaths. 

For families traveling the major highways, neighborhood streets and busy commercial corridors across north and northwest Harris County, those numbers help explain why impaired-driving enforcement remains an everyday public safety issue rather than something confined to holiday weekends.

Precinct 4 Officers Recognized for 2025 Enforcement

According to Harris County Constable Mark Herman's office, the department was among the law enforcement agencies honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, commonly known as MADD, for efforts to combat impaired driving during 2025.

Constable Mark Herman and seven members of his command and patrol staff received individual awards:

• Constable Mark Herman — Outstanding Leadership Award
• Assistant Chief Daniel Garza — Outstanding Leadership Award
• Captain Juan Flores — Outstanding Service Award
• Lieutenant Roger Wolsey — MADD Enforcement Hero Award
• Sergeant Matthew Hales — Outstanding Service Award
• Sergeant Kevin Walker — Outstanding Service Award
• Deputy Nicholas Enqvist — MADD Enforcement Hero Award
• Deputy Fernando Azrac — Outstanding Rookie Award

“I am extremely proud of the men and women of Precinct 4 for their continued dedication to protecting our community from the dangers of impaired driving,” Herman said. “These awards are a reflection of their hard work, proactive enforcement, and commitment to saving lives. We are grateful to Mothers Against Drunk Driving for recognizing their efforts and for their continued partnership in making our roadways safer.”

The awards recognize work that can be difficult to measure in the moment. Removing an impaired driver from the road may never produce a dramatic headline precisely because the crash that could have followed never happened.

Harris County Recorded More Than 3,000 Alcohol-Related Crashes in 2025

The local numbers show why that preventive work matters.

TxDOT's finalized 2025 county crash statistics show Harris County recorded 3,090 DUI-alcohol crashes during the year. Among them were 126 fatal crashes resulting in 138 deaths, along with 163 crashes involving suspected serious injuries and 427 involving suspected minor injuries. The data comes from Texas Peace Officer crash reports received and processed by TxDOT as of April 7, 2026. 

Nationally, the problem remains substantial as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the United States in 2024, accounting for about 30% of all traffic deaths that year. That works out to roughly one alcohol-impaired-driving death every 44 minutes. 

NHTSA also notes that alcohol can affect judgment, coordination and the ability to divide attention even before a driver reaches the legal blood-alcohol limit.

How Mothers Against Drunk Driving Became a National Movement

The organization honoring Precinct 4 this week grew out of one family's loss.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded in 1980 after 13-year-old Cari Lightner was struck and killed by a repeat drunk-driving offender while walking to a church carnival in Fair Oaks, California. Her mother, Candace Lightner, responded by pushing for changes in drunk-driving laws and helping launch what became a nationwide movement. 

MADD's mission today extends beyond enforcement. The nonprofit works to end drunk and drugged driving, support victims and survivors, prevent underage drinking and other drug use, advocate for public policy changes and encourage technology designed to prevent impaired driving. It also provides victim advocacy, court accompaniment, information about victims' rights and other services at no cost to families affected by impaired-driving crashes. 

The organization has also spent decades working alongside law enforcement agencies. MADD identifies officers as a key part of preventing impaired-driving deaths and supports high-visibility enforcement efforts aimed at identifying and removing impaired drivers before a crash occurs. 

That partnership is one reason MADD law enforcement recognition programs carry a different meaning than a traditional awards ceremony. They connect individual traffic stops and patrol decisions with a broader effort that began more than four decades ago with families asking how preventable deaths could be prevented from happening again.

A Long-Term Push to Change What Happens Before Someone Drives

MADD's influence can also be seen in changes that have become familiar parts of American driving culture.

The organization helped popularize the idea of the designated driver beginning in the 1980s and supported efforts surrounding the nationwide adoption of a .08 blood-alcohol concentration limit. Its history also includes work on victim impact panels, underage drinking prevention, ignition interlock laws and public awareness campaigns aimed at encouraging people to arrange a safe ride before drinking. 

MADD says drunk-driving deaths have declined substantially since the organization was founded, although impaired driving continues to claim thousands of lives each year. 

For Harris County, that unfinished work is easy to see in the latest crash data.

More than 3,000 alcohol-related crashes in a single year represent thousands of moments in which a drive home, trip to work or ordinary night on the road crossed paths with impaired driving. The recognition presented to Precinct 4 officers serves as acknowledgment of what happens on the other side of those statistics — the traffic stops, arrests and late-night patrol work intended to keep another family from becoming part of them.

And that is ultimately the community value behind the awards: not simply recognizing enforcement after the fact, but recognizing the work being done every day to help ensure more Harris County drivers make it home safely.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for additional Harris County public safety, traffic and community updates.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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