A Lake County sheriff’s sergeant, who is among the top in his department for removing DUI drivers from the streets, has received an award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work.
Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg announced this week that Sergeant Ari Briskman received the Brian McMillen Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Idleburg said Briskman has demonstrated “integrity and service above one’s self.”
The Brian McMillen Award was established to honor the memory of late Illinois State Police Trooper Brian McMillen, who died in 2007 while responding to a disturbance call.
McMillen died instantly when a DUI driver crossed into his lane and sideswiped his patrol vehicle, causing it to spin out of control and be struck by another DUI driver.
The award honors outstanding individuals who, through their dedication, integrity and perseverance, exemplify the values that McMillen believed were necessary to achieve one’s personal and professional goals, Idleburg said.
“By acknowledging this exceptional individual and highlighting these values we keep Brian’s memory alive,” the sheriff said.
Idleburg said Briskman has had a sustained, continuous, and career-spanning commitment to traffic safety, especially in the area of removing impaired drivers from the roadways.
He has consistently been one of his department’s top DUI arresting officers throughout his career.
Briskman has become a drug recognition expert, drug recognition expert instructor, standardized field sobriety test instructor and seated standardized field sobriety test instructor.
Idleburg said Briskman used his knowledge to introduce his department to more effective and efficient ways to remove impaired drivers from the roadways and successfully prosecute them.
Briskman is the Commander of the Marine Unit on the Chain of Lakes in Lake County.
He also serves the sheriff’s office as the Traffic Safety Grant Administrator, the Technical Crash Investigation Team Commander, the Auxiliary Deputy Unit Commander, and a Public Information Officer.
Idleburg said Briskman, a leader and supervisor in his agency, promotes traffic safety by ensuring the removal of impaired drivers is a priority.
“He exemplifies leadership and dedication to his job by always availing himself to opportunities for learning new skills and then teaching those very same skills to others,” Idleburg said.
Briskman volunteers for victim advocacy groups by serving on their committees, volunteering at awards banquets and communicating with victims of traffic crashes he investigates.
Lake County Sheriff’s Auxiliary Deputy Thomas Brasuell, who was struck by an impaired driver while directing traffic, gave a speech at the ceremony where Briskman was honored about how his life was impacted by the poor decisions made by the reckless driver who struck him.