By Tristan Naver
Dayton Daily News
KETTERING, Ohio — When she was a child, Jesika Shriver-Kelch experienced the loss of dozens of people from her community after they died in a bus crash caused by a drunken driver in 1988.
“I lost a lot of my peers in that crash,” Shriver-Kelch said of the bus crash in Carrollton, Ky.
“Twenty-seven people died of 70 on the bus. Twenty four of those who died were kids. That’s how I’ve become a strong supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and that’s what jump-started me into becoming a police officer, to keep that from happening to other people, families and friends.”
Shriver-Kelch, now a Kettering police officer, has focused efforts on taking drunken drivers off the road.
In August, MADD recognized her as Top Cop Award for the Southwestern Region.
She said she may have made as many as 500 arrests for DU-Is in her career.
The effects of drunken driving is also a personal issue for Shriver-Kelch.
“I was personally hit by a drunk driver Dec. 31, 2002, and almost killed in that crash,” she said.
“When I was hit, I was working, and he ended up taking a full speed hit into my cruiser. I was CareFlight-ed in a brief coma. All the way up to today I am still suffering the effects of what one person’s decision was, to drink and drive.”
Q: What has your work to fight drunken driving entailed?
A: Myself and several other officers were recognized for efforts in going above and beyond to take DUI drivers of the roads.Whether that be prevention, education, enforcement or all of those included.
Q: What is your favorite part of being a police officer?
A: When we’re out here doing our jobs, it’s more than just what people would assume. When we’re going out here, we have a job to do, which is obviously responding to calls and preventing crime, but there’s also the community oriented policing side of what we do as well.
Q: What should people know about the police?
A: We’ve approachable. When people see us driving around in our cars, they’re afraid to wave to us sometimes. I think it’s important that we get out and deal with people in the community, but I think it’s also important that they know we’re definitely approachable.... We don’t bite.
Copyright 2012 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.