Sgt. Dave Windels receives TZD Enforcement Star Award at the 21st annual Toward Zero Deaths conference
The statewide awards are presented to those who work to save lives on Minnesota roadways
St. Cloud, Minn. – Six people and one radio station were honored recently for their outstanding work to reduce the number of life-changing crashes on Minnesota roads. Each of the seven received a 2024 Toward Zero Deaths Award during a ceremony attended by more than 800 of the state’s leading traffic safety professionals meeting in St. Cloud for Minnesota’s 21st annual State TZD conference.
The prestigious traffic safety awards are presented annually by the Minnesota departments of health, public safety and transportation. The awards recognize outstanding work and accomplishments to improve traffic safety and reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured while traveling Minnesota roads.
TZD’s Enforcement Star award: Sgt. Dave Windels, Elk River Police Department
Sgt. Dave Windels, patrol sergeant and TZD enforcement coordinator with the Elk River Police Department, understands traffic safety is public safety that benefits everyone. As an active member of the Sherburne County TZD Safe Roads Coalition, he created a video contest with Elk River High School students about texting and driving.
“Sgt. Windels’ leadership team recognizes his ability to promote the culture of traffic safety within the department,” said Captain Darren McKernan, Elk River Police Department. “Once a new police officer completes field training, they are assigned to Sgt. Windels’ crew for a minimum period of six months. This helps to reinforce departmental values that will continue throughout their careers.”
Sgt. Windels coordinates overtime enforcement during traffic safety waves led by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety. He organizes on-duty waves to provide sustained, high-visibility traffic safety saturations, and leads or participates in other projects including the 2024 Traffic Safety Vehicle Grant and a Minnesota Speed and Aggressive Driving Call-to-Action Grant. Sgt. Windels has promoted traffic safety in various communities throughout his 24 years of public service, including his previous time serving with the St. Joseph Police Department and the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office.
About TZD awards
The Toward Zero Deaths Star Awards are given to recognize excellence in enforcement, emergency medical and trauma services, education, engineering, child passenger safety and judicial/court systems. Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional creativity, leadership, and organizational skills and the ability to successfully motivate and collaborate with others in efforts to move toward zero deaths on Minnesota’s roads.
Toward Zero Deaths is Minnesota’s core traffic safety program and is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the state departments of health, transportation and public safety. This collaboration began in 2003 and has worked to reduce roadway fatalities by 33 percent.
A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe driving behavior. TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes: education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical and trauma response. Learn more about TZD and how to get involved at www.minnesotatzd.org.
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