LA PLATA, Md. — Patrol Officer First Class Jacob Shuar of the La Plata Police Department earned recognition from Mothers Against Drunk Driving as a top performer in driving under the influence enforcement across Maryland agencies for 2024, marking his third such distinction this year.
The nonprofit group, which tracks arrests and initiatives relative to department size, highlighted Shuar’s contributions during a statewide review of law enforcement efforts. His work aligns with MADD’s focus on curbing impaired driving through targeted patrols and community outreach. Founded in 1980 after a Texas mother’s daughter died in an alcohol-related crash, MADD has reduced U.S. impaired driving fatalities by about 40 percent nationwide and assisted nearly one million victims with counseling, legal aid and prevention programs. In Maryland, the organization operates as a grassroots network, partnering with local police on education campaigns and advocating for stricter penalties, including mandatory ignition interlocks for repeat offenders.
Shuar’s MADD nod follows two earlier honors for the same period. On Oct. 18, 2025, he received the Maryland Department of Transportation Impaired Driving Enforcement Award at a Towson ceremony hosted by the Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program. The event saluted more than 70 officers from 29 agencies for exceeding benchmarks in arrests and evaluations, with statewide DUI stops totaling 11,750 in 2024. Shuar stood out in the small-agency category for leading DUI apprehensions proportional to his department’s scale.
Earlier, the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association presented him its Traffic Safety Award in the 26-to-125-officer division during its annual conference. The recognition, based on 2024 data, commends officers who advance road safety through proactive traffic operations, including sobriety checkpoints and high-visibility patrols.
Shuar joined the La Plata Police Department in 2022, rising quickly to Patrol Officer First Class by late 2024. That year, he handled the third-highest volume of reports among colleagues, leading to 23 criminal arrests beyond his DUI focus. Department leaders named him Officer of the Year at a May 2025 banquet, citing his versatility in patrol duties and commitment to public safety.
Maryland recorded 2,681 injuries from impaired driving in 2024, a 2.6 percent rise from 2023, alongside 215 fatalities — a 73.4 percent jump from 124 the prior year. These figures underscore the stakes for officers like Shuar, whose enforcement targets high-risk hours on routes like Route 210, where Southern Maryland sees elevated crash rates from weekend nightlife and holiday travel. Over five years, the state tallied more than 30,850 impaired-related crashes, claiming 845 lives and injuring 13,333. Charles County, encompassing La Plata, averaged 2,800 annual crashes through 2024, with impaired factors in up to 20 percent of fatalities, often tied to the area’s mix of rural roads and suburban sprawl.
Under Maryland law, drivers face automatic license suspensions starting on the 46th day after arrest, ranging from 180 days to two years based on blood alcohol concentration levels above 0.08 percent or drug presence. First-offense fines reached a maximum of $1,200 as of June 1, 2025, with jail terms up to 60 days; repeat violations double penalties to $2,400 fines and one year incarceration. The state mandates alcohol education programs for convictions and restricts provisional licenses during suspensions. Drug-impaired cases, increasingly common with cannabis legalization, require Drug Recognition Expert certifications, which Shuar holds through department training.
Shuar’s efforts, including off-duty advocacy at schools, exemplify how individual officers bolster these systemic safeguards, contributing to Maryland’s goal of zero roadway deaths by 2030.
