Six San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office deputies honored for removing 176 impaired drivers from county roads
San Mateo County, California – One traffic stop can look routine from the outside. A patrol car pulls over, lights flash and another driver leaves the road. But when alcohol or drugs are involved, that stop may be the moment a serious crash never happens.
For six members of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, those moments added up to 176 DUI arrests in 2025, a figure now being recognized across the Bay Area.
Earlier this week, the California Office of Traffic Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, commonly known as MADD, held an awards ceremony honoring law enforcement officers whose work has helped remove impaired drivers from local roads. The event highlighted officers who consistently focused on DUI enforcement and public safety throughout the year.
Deputy Vega received MADD’s “Outstanding Officer Award” after participating in every DUI saturation patrol and every DUI checkpoint conducted in 2025. The recognition reflected not only the number of enforcement operations completed, but also the steady commitment required to attend each one.
Five other members of the Sheriff’s Office were recognized for the number of impaired-driving arrests they made during the year.
Read also: Caltrain’s $1 youth fare drives a 26% ridership increase, 355,000 Caltrain trips in five months
Deputy Pavis recorded 45 DUI arrests, the highest total among the six honorees. Sgt. Lothian followed closely with 44 arrests. Deputy Grabar made 31 DUI arrests, Deputy Islas made 29 and Deputy Banda-Izaguirre recorded 27.
Combined with Deputy Vega’s work, the six officers were responsible for 176 DUI arrests last year.
That number tells only part of the story. DUI enforcement often happens during nights, weekends, holidays and special patrol operations, the hours when impaired driving can create the greatest danger. Officers must identify unsafe behavior, conduct investigations and determine whether drivers are under the influence before those drivers continue farther down the road.
Saturation patrols place additional officers in areas where impaired driving is more likely to occur, while DUI checkpoints allow law enforcement to screen drivers at specific locations. Deputy Vega’s participation in every such operation during 2025 became a central reason for the Outstanding Officer Award.
The Sheriff’s Office described each arrest as a potential tragedy prevented. That message places the focus beyond awards and statistics. An impaired driver may endanger passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists long before a collision occurs.
The recognition from MADD and the California Office of Traffic Safety serves as a public measure of work that is often carried out one vehicle at a time. For San Mateo County, the 176 arrests represent repeated interventions on local roads, and a continuing effort to keep an avoidable decision from becoming an irreversible loss.
