Stott arrested 49 for DWI in 2010
Columbus Police Sgt. Nicholas Stott was recently awarded the N.C. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) hero award.
Stott received the award for arresting the most persons for driving while impaired (DWI) in the western portion of the state.
He received the award during a banquet Friday, Feb. 11 in Raleigh.
“The hero award is for people who go over and beyond their normal job description and also people who have a passion for MADD’s mission,” said Lori Brown, development officer for MADD North Carolina.
Sgt. Stott was recognized at the banquet for leading his department in DWI charges and convictions for the last two years, and consistently making more DWI arrests and convictions than all officers from neighboring departments combined, according to Columbus Police Chief Chris Beddingfield.
“Words cannot express the amount of effort Stott puts into all his duties,” said Beddingfield. “We are very proud of him and consider ourselves lucky to have him working for our department.”
Beddingfield said Stott is a proactive participant in the Governor’s Highway Safety Program and participates in all offered programs and trainings. Sgt. Stott is active in the community, creating and presenting informational programs relating to DWI prevention and traffic safety.
While policing a jurisdiction that includes slightly more than 1,000 people and a small area of 1.8 miles, Sergeant Stott had 49 DWI arrests in 2010. The recipient of the MADD hero award for the eastern part of the state, whose jurisdiction is the much larger town of Hillsboro, had 33 DWI arrests in 2010.
Stott said his experience in law enforcement and working with the emergency medical service (EMS) department while in Chapel Hill has shown him the impact drunk driving creates on families. He said drunk drivers kill more people and do more property damage than people charged with any other offense.
“If you look at just the fatal accidents over the past few years, most of them are alcohol involved,” said Stott, “so I feel like I’m doing a service by stopping accidents. It’s no longer acceptable to drink and drive.”
Stott said he deals not only with drunk drivers but also with impaired drivers on prescription medication. He said most impaired drivers he arrests in Columbus are from outside of Columbus.
Stott’s DWI conviction rate is also impressive. Out of approximately 128 total DWI arrests over his law enforcement career since December 2006, Stott has lost only two cases.
Beddingfield said Stott works hard not only on DWI arrests and convictions, but also on all his other duties with traffic, business checks and investigations.
“He goes well above and beyond,” said Beddingfield. “He goes to a lot of training on his own bill and his own time as well. The effort he puts forth is unbelievable.”
Stott was chosen from numerous candidates by a panel of law enforcement executives, prosecutors and community representatives from across the state. Other awards were given for various aspects of DWI enforcement and prevention.