Galligan honored for highway safety, speed enforcement

When it comes to enforcing highway safety and speeding, no police officer does it better than Johnston Patrolman David A. Galligan.

That was the message last Thursday at Roger Williams University in Bristol, where Galligan received two prestigious awards from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s Office on Highway Safety.

Galligan, who is a lifelong Johnston resident and an eight-year veteran of the town’s Police Department, was honored with the Occupant Protection Enforcement and Speed Enforcement Awards for, as the first honor read, “your outstanding dedication to fighting safety initiatives.”

The patrolman – who is assigned to the department’s second watch and serves as a certified field-training officer and member of the special response team – accepted the other honor as the Highest Achiever in Speed Enforcement.

Gabrielle A. Abbate, who serves as chief of the Office on Highway Safety, said: “Because of your efforts and dedication to service, Rhode Island’s roadways are safer and lives have been saved.”

Galligan also received commendations from his department that read, in part: “The Johnston Police Department would like to congratulate Patrolman Galligan for his Traffic Safety Hero Awards which he received from the RI Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. His efforts were recognized for commitment to traffic safety for Speeding Enforcement and Occupant Safety-Seat Belt Compliance. Keep up the great work Officer Galligan.”

Richard S. Tamburini, the long-serving police chief in Johnston, heaped words of praise upon his department’s latest honoree.

“Patrolman Galligan works hard in those two areas, occupant safety and speeding,” Tamburini said. “His ultimate goal is obviously to make sure all motorists are safe. He’s truly the epitome of Johnston’s finest.”