MADD Accepting Nominations for Prosecutor Life Saver Award

MADD Michigan is currently accepting nominations for the Prosecutor Life Saver Award(s).

The award is given to one or two prosecutors a year for their contributions to stop drunk driving and to support victims of this violent crime.

The Criteria for Awards is as follows:

• New or significant issue regarding impaired driving. This may involve a novel legal issue.

• Year long demonstration of "daily extraordinary work."

• High profile case or complicated issue. This criterion would demonstrate the prosecutor having gone "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

• Impact on victim services. This criterion would demonstrate how the prosecutor directly provided services to a victim that demonstrates effort "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

The Period of Adjudication for this award is : May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010

The winner of the award will receive a plaque that will be presented at the prosecutor's Annual Conference in July. Winners will also receive one night's lodging at the conference

Access the nomination form and help to recognize a worthy prosecutor today!

For more information, please contact me at 906-225-7036, or Homer Smith, Executive Director for MADD Michigan at 517-487-6233.

MSP Iron River trooper honored for dedication to ensuring children ride safely in cars

Sgt. Christine Grabowski nominated Trooper Eric Farnsworth for the GTSAC award

LANSING – An 11-year veteran of the Michigan Department of State Police (MSP) was honored at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 31 at the Kellogg Conference Center in East Lansing for his efforts to ensure children ride safely in passenger vehicles.


Each year the commission honors organizations, programs and individuals for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The awards luncheon is part of the 15th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit. Seven traffic safety and three long-term awards are being presented.


In 2002, Trooper Eric Farnsworth started a car seat program at the MSP Iron River Post by obtaining donations from local businesses and community organizations to purchase car seats. He discovered that many of the seats he checked were purchased at yard sales or thrift shops, or were hand-me-downs. Further, most of the car seats were incorrectly installed and some were even on recall lists. Farnsworth soon began a campaign to promote proper car seat use to parents in the western Upper Peninsula.


Farnsworth annually installs 40 car seats at the Iron River Post and assists other technicians at numerous car seat clinics throughout the year. He also makes presentations at local schools about seat belts, car seats and booster seats and promotes car seat use at local events. His dedication to ensuring children ride in vehicles safely is well known and local law enforcement regularly direct families in need of car seats to contact Farnsworth.


In 2009, he installed a new seat for a 14-month-old girl who was involved in a serious head-on crash with her mother the following day. Deputies attributed her survival to the proper installation of her car seat.


The GTSAC was formed in 2002 to serve as the state’s forum for identifying key traffic safety challenges and developing and implementing plans to address those issues. The GTSAC is comprised of representatives from: Community Health, Education, State, State Police, Transportation, Office of Services to the Aging, Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Office of the Governor. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the Governor.