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Allegheny officer named ‘Top Gun’

Group recognizes Mummert for DUI enforcement

The Pennsylvania DUI Association recognized an Allegheny Township Police Department officer in November for his efforts to keep the roads safe from impaired drivers, an association spokesperson said.

Officer Paul Mummert was selected for the association’s 2020 DUI Top Gun award, which is given to law enforcement officers who log high numbers of DUI charges within their department.

“I was surprised,” Mummert said. “I do this for the job and not stuff like this, but it’s nice to be recognized for your hard work.”

Mummert also received the Top Gun award while working in Cresson in 2015, he said.

The association, which is comprised of professionals from law enforcement, education, treatment and criminal justice, was formed in 1976, association spokesperson David Andrascik said.

“The goal of the organization is to address impaired driving in all of its many stages — from prevention to enforcement … and including adjudication and rehabilitation,” Andrascik said. “The Top Gun Awards were started 23 years ago by the association to serve as a thank you toward law enforcement for keeping our families safe on the roads.”

Allegheny Township police Chief Leo Berg said he nominated Mummert for the award because of Mummert’s motivation and dedication.

“Paul is an exceptional officer,” Berg said. “I’m proud to say I have a lot of good officers here. We’re like a family.”

While DUIs are not the township’s biggest policing priority, they do rank among the top, he said.

“We have a lot of roads in the 35 square miles we cover,” Berg said. “And DUI enforcement is an important job that helps keep our community safe.”

For Mummert, becoming a policeman was his dream since childhood.

“The police chief in Duncansville at the time, now Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott, made a big impression on me when I was growing up,” he said. “I’ve wanted to be a police chief for as long as I can remember.”

Mummert joined law enforcement in 2013, and was hired by Allegheny Township about three years ago.

DUI enforcement has changed since he donned a badge, and nowadays, Mummert said it’s less about policing drunken drivers and more about reducing the number of drug-impaired drivers on the roads.

“We’re making headway on the DUI problem,” he said. “But I think that has more to do with technology like Uber than anything.”

With so many ride-sharing apps and services available today, Mummert said he finds impaired driving inexcusable.

“There are just so many options out there,” he said. “Stay safe and catch a ride with someone else.”

When Mummert isn’t in uniform, he said he enjoys fly-fishing along the Juniata River and hunting.

“As much as I love my job,” Mummert said, “I love being out in nature more.”

Mirror Staff Writer Ike Fredregill is at 814-946-7458.

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