Norrie wins traffic safety award
Published 7:00 am Sunday, November 12, 2000
“Rick Norrie, a deputy working for the Island County Sheriff’s Office, is making South Whidbey a safer place to drive.On Dec. 7, the Washington Traffic Safety Council will recognize Norrie for his work in reducing underage drinking and driving and traffic enforcement in general. He will be one of 50 people statewide to earn the WTSC’s Law Enforcement award, while the underage drinking prevention program he administers, known as RUAD (Reduce UnderAge Drinking) will receive the Education Outreach award at the 18th annual WTSC Statewide Traffic Safety Awards Program.The WTSC will give Norrie its award to recognize his expertise in and service to traffic safety. Norrie is a nationally certified drug recognition expert, administers Island County DUI emphasis programs, and regularly speaks before school and community groups about traffic safety. He received the Top Cop award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1996 and 1997, and in 1999 was voted the employee of the year at the Island County Sheriff’s Office.Norrie said he cannot take all the credit for the RUAD program, nor for the work that many others put into making driving safer in Island County.It was all from the heart, the way it came together, he said.The $15,000 RUAD grant that Norrie wrote, won and currently administers will receive a separate award from the WTSC for the activities it sponsors. Those activities include the creation of a live-action DUI docu-drama last spring at South Whidbey High School and a workshop that brought youth, law enforcement, and school personnel together to talk about traffic safety and chemical abuse. The grant also pays for compliance checks of local businesses that sell alcohol and for a party patrol that is aimed at stopping teenage drinking. Participants in the program are the South Whidbey School District, the South Whidbey Youth Center, Langley Police Department, the Island County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, and other community leaders.Norrie’s boss, Sheriff Mike Hawley, said the roads in Island County are safer thanks to Norrie’s efforts.Rick’s been a real big part of that and he’s a real leader, he said.Norrie was nominated for his award by Hawley, Langley Police Chief Bob Herzberg, administrators at the Island County Probation Department and at the Island County District Court. “
