Cottonwood Police officer Austin Perez was recently recognized by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization for his outstanding work in taking impaired drivers off of the streets of Cottonwood and Yavapai County.
Perez graduated from the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy in May of 2020 and immediately began making an impact on reducing the number of impaired drivers in the Verde Valley.
Over the last year, he has accounted for over 20% of all DUI arrests for the entire police department, even outpacing the two dedicated traffic units.
Perez recently attended and graduated from Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and is scheduled to attend law enforcement phlebotomy school later this year.
He is also looking forward to attending Drug Recognition Expert school in the future to enhance his DUI investigation abilities.
He is part of the police department’s fatal accident reconstruction team and the Verde Valley Regional SWAT.
Perez enjoys educating people on the dangers of impaired driving and has participated in programs such as the Cottonwood Police Department Cadets, Trunk or Treat and Know Your Limit.
