When it comes to recognizing impaired drivers and getting them off the road and into the criminal justice system, few can rival the work of Michigan State Police Sgt. James Janes of the Niles Post. In fact, his prolific work has earned him an appointment in Lansing this week to pick up an award during the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission annual awards presentations.
Sgt. Janes will head for the annual awards presentation Wednesday at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing for his efforts as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and deaths.
The commission honors organizations, programs and individuals for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The awards ceremony is part of the 23rd Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit. Six Outstanding Traffic Safety Achievement awards, four long-term awards and one student award are being presented.
As a DRE, Sergeant Janes is trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol. The sergeant’s experiences have been instrumental in his ability to take suspected impaired drivers consistently and successfully through the judicial process. In 2015, Sergeant Janes performed 40 DRE evaluations during his own investigations and those of other law enforcement officers. He has been one of the most active in the state, completing 200 DRE evaluations in the last four years, and instructing DRE courses across the nation.
Sergeant Janes was praised for “his dedication, commitment, experience, mentoring and knowledge” and his ability to keep the post and local law enforcement partners updated on changes about the laws and policies surrounding impaired driving.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission 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 commision includes representatives from the Michigan State Police and the departments of: Education, Health and Human Services, State and Transportation, as well as the Office of the Governor, Office of Services to the Aging and Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the governor.
