MADD Honors Two Montville Officers

Gary Galdenzi and Addison Saffiotti like working nights. They like making DUI arrests. They like making a difference.

The Montville Police officers were honored recently for their DUI efforts by the Connecticut chapter of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Galdenzi said he was honored for 49 arrests, and Saffiotti for 68. He said he hadn't heard of an officer in the state with more arrests than Saffiotti.

Their work, the officers believe, has made a difference.

"There is no way to predict the extent of what we do," Galdenzi said, but "there are some people that would have killed others or themselves" had the officers not stopped them.

He pointed out that there have been no fatalities on Route 32 for more than a year, and in fact, he said, none in Montville.

In addition, "The taxi traffic has increased noticeably on the midnight shifts," he said.

Saffiotti said that stopping a person who appears to be driving drunk is an "unpredictable" situation, especially if the person has been stopped before. Whenever there is the potential of jail time, he said, the stop can be dicey.

The new is a good move by the state, the officers said, for those drivers who repeatedly drive while drunk. 

For them, Galdenzi said, "Clearly, jail is not doing the trick."

The fatal accidents that result from drunken driving are "horrific," Galdenzi said. "You see that once, it's a very clear image," and one that stays with you forever.

"If you can prevent one of those," he said, you're making a difference.

Saffiotti has been working the night shift for three years; Galdenzi for seven. Neither has plans to change shifts.

The officers were honored by MADD at a dinner recently at Anthony's in New Haven.