PRAIRIEVILLE - More than 100 law enforcement officers across the state were honored Tuesday afternoon for making a monumental amount of DWI arrests over the last year. 

The 2024 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Law Enforcement Recognition Ceremony aimed to honor those who had made at least 25 DWI arrests in the last 12 months. 

"The lives that are saved, it could be my child, yours or anyone's so we applaud them for their hard work," Valerie Cox, M.A.D.D. Victims Service Specialist said.

One deputy knew the life-changing consequences of impaired driving all too well. St. John Parish Deputy Benjamin Teekell shared a heartbreaking story with the audience about the loss of his daughter.

"Drunk driving presses the pause button on life when you're impacted by it," Teekell said. 

In 2018, Teekell was driving in Gonzales with his two daughters, Addisyn, 5, and Ashtyn, 7, when he was hit head-on by an intoxicated driver. Addisyn did not survive the crash, while Ashtyn was hospitalized for weeks. 

"Addisyn's death has completely turned my life upside down as well as her sister's," Teekell said. 

At the award ceremony on Tuesday, Teekell shared his story with his peers in hopes that it will motivate them to stay vigilant and continue to keep the streets safe from impaired drivers. 

"We just want to make a great impact on people and hopefully keep someone from experiencing the pain that I have and that other victims have gone through," he said. 

Coming up on Saturday, October 19, M.A.D.D. is hosting a walk at Forest Community Park in Baton Rouge. Click here to sign up or support the cause.