MADD Dedicates Annual Event To Late DUI Enforcement Deputy

TAMPA, FL -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving dedicated its 11th annual Tampa Walk Like MADD event March 23 to a sheriff's deputy who dedicated his career to DUI enforcement and education.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Morrell, who died of cancer last summer, worked on the DUI enforcement unit and was committed to educating students about drinking and speaking with bartenders and store clerks about underage sales.

MADD named him Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 2016 and the award is now called the Deputy Larry Morrell Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award.

"If anyone believed in and understood what Mothers Against Drunk Driving was all about, it was Larry Morrell," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, who served as honorary chairman for this year's event. "For 25 years Larry served Hillsborough County as a deputy sheriff and the vast majority of that time he was doing what he loved most - taking drunk drivers off the street and making our roads safer."

Although Morrell is gone, Chronister said his impact is still felt.

"Larry not only patrolled the streets looking for impaired drivers, he routinely educated the public and even worked with establishments to prevent drunk driving at the source," he said.

Friday's walk took place on the main campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Hundreds of people were on hand to honor loved ones who died as a result of drunk drivers. Participants obtained sponsorships from employers, friends and family members to raise money for MADD's continued efforts to raise awareness about the impact of drunk driving, to promote anti-drunk driving legislation and to help victims cope following drunk-driving crashes.

The top fundraising team, called MADD About Larry, raised $6,830.

“MADD is needed. MADD is necessary. MADD is relevant,” said Larry Coggins Jr, executive director of the West Central Florida branch of MADD. “MADD has single-handedly changed the American culture to recognize that drunk driving is unacceptable, 100 percent preventable and is a violent crime.”

Since its inception MADD has helped reduce drunk fatalities from 25,000 per year to just over 10,000.

Video via Hillsborough County Sheriff