Lt. Doucette Earns 'Lifesaver' Award

BENNINGTON — A local police officer was proclaimed "Lifesaver of the Year" by public safety officials Tuesday for his efforts to improve traffic safety and curtail drunken driving. 'Going over and above' Bennington Police Department Lt. Paul Doucette was named the 2008 Lifesaver of the Year by the Governor's Highway Safety Program Tuesday at its annual "Vermont Highway Heroes" luncheon in Burlington. Betsy Ross, public information officer for the program, said Doucette was singled out by the program for his sustained activity with traffic safety, statewide impact and for going "over and above what could reasonably be expected" in his efforts. GHSP Coordinator Jeanne Johnson, who presented the award, said Doucette was a "perfectionist who is passionate about his work." "Over the years, Paul has managed to keep DUI and highway safety issues in the public eye. His projects are constantly in the news, and he never misses a chance to thank the Governor's Highway Safety Program," she said. "He works collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies and the community in all his efforts. Paul is a leader in our DUI and Click It or Ticket task forces."

Johnson cited Doucette's innovative anti-DUI campaign as a factor for being chosen as the award recipient. She said his program of supplying pint glasses to area bars with the Bennington Police Department logo and anti-DUI campaign logos was highly successful and easily replicated by other departments. Doucette said he was honored to be chosen for the award when so many officers throughout the state work hard to improve traffic safety. "I was truly honored ... and I was also pleasantly surprised. There's a lot of people that do a lot of things for traffic safety," Doucette said. But he said any credit for what the Bennington Police Department has accomplished belongs to the entire department. "This is not about Paul Doucette," he said. "It's about everyone in the Bennington Police Department. Although the plaque has my name, we couldn't do it without the entire department." Partnerships with the community have also made the programs put together by the department a success, Doucette said. "A lot of our partners don't charge us anything because they believe in what we're doing and they believe it's working," he said. But Chief Richard Gauthier said Doucette was a well-deserving recipient of the award. "This isn't a frivolous award that they hand out because there's nobody else. This is awarded to somebody who has gone above and beyond," Gauthier said. Both Doucette and Gauthier said the award is not an excuse to back off their safety efforts, but rather motivation to continue to improve. "We're not going to change here, because this isn't about an award. It's about saving lives," Doucette said. "Success feeds on success," Gauthier said. "It's not, 'OK, we made it and now we can slide back.' The goal is to continue to improve." The GHSP holds its awards luncheon every year to thank officers who dedicate their lives to highway safety. In addition to the Lifesaver of the Year award, three other awards were handed out Tuesday: * The Sgt. Michael Johnson Award was presented to Officer Matt Plunkett from South Burlington Police Department for his dedicated commitment to DUI and overall traffic safety. * The Education and Outreach Award was given to Fletcher Brush of Middlebury Cooperative Insurance Companies for outstanding work with the Outreach and Training Task Force and his dedication and commitment to the Vermont Youth Safety Council. * The Engineering Award was presented to Mario Dupigny-Giroux, Agency of Transportation for outstanding performance implementing the High Risk Rural Roads Program providing low cost safety improvements and technical assistance for municipalities.