LYNNWOOD — Mark Brinkman can remember holding the young woman as she screamed in pain. He also remembers her dying.
The teen had been riding with a friend who was driving drunk, the Lynnwood police officer said.
Brinkman, an Island County Sheriff’s deputy at the time, had passed the high school seniors shortly before the accident.
"I noticed something weird. It wasn’t anything really big, but I chose not to stop them. I should have," Brinkman said.
Thirty minutes later he found the crumpled car and the girl who had been thrown out of the vehicle. He held her while he waited for paramedics to arrive. She died in his arms, he said.
The memories of the accident stay with the veteran police officer. He has made it his mission to get drunken drivers off the roads.
Brinkman, 38, was recently recognized for his efforts. The Snohomish County DUI Task Force earlier this month gave Brinkman the Norma Thompson Award. The honor is given to the police officer who removes the most impaired drivers from the county’s roadways.
Last year, Brinkman arrested 208 impaired drivers from the city and surrounding areas, averaging almost two DUI arrests a night. The next highest number came from a State Patrol trooper at 118.
"What Mark has done is extraordinary. He is making a difference for all of us," said Tracy McMillan, task force coordinator.
The state chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving also recently recognized Brinkman, giving him an award for his ongoing efforts to make the roads safer.
So how does he catch so many drunken drivers?
Brinkman calls it a knack. His colleagues say it’s a sixth sense.
Brinkman will look at the 10 cars ahead of him and something subtle will pique his interest, Cmdr. Bryan Stanifer said.
"He can detect a drunk driver before he gets up to the car. He’s amazing," Stanifer said.
Brinkman also has had hours of advanced training and works a schedule to accommodate the hunt for impaired drivers.
A couple of years ago, the police department made DUI enforcement a top priority, Stanifer said. The department chose Brinkman and Sgt. Chuck Steichen to become state-certified drug recognition experts.
The men received extensive training in detecting impaired drivers and giving suspects field sobriety tests to determine if they are too drunk to drive.
Drunken drivers aren’t always obvious.
"It’s not like on TV where they’re swerving all over the place. Little things catch my eye," Brinkman said.
Brinkman has become an in-house expert who offers advice and assistance for fellow officers. They call him when they have a gut feeling someone might be drunk or high. He shares his training with them.
"The goal is to get to them before they get in an accident," he said. "It’s just a matter of making it a priority."
The task force recognized the Lynnwood department for its work, too. The department ranked third in the state, below Seattle and Spokane, for removing impaired drivers from city streets. Last year, Lynnwood officers made 549 DUI arrests.
"Lynnwood is not the place to come and get drunk and drive," Stanifer said.
It is police work that makes a difference, said Brinkman, a youth pastor on Whidbey Island.
Thursday night after arresting a woman for DUI after she crashed into the back of a truck, Brinkman asked her about her drinking habits. He advised her to get some help.
"It’s the pastor in me. I want to keep people from ruining their lives," he said.
Brinkman has seen results. Not only does he prevent accidents, but people have called weeks later to say that they or their loved one quit drinking alcohol after being arrested, he said.
"Every time we take (a drunken driver) off the road, I feel like we’ve saved a life," he said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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