Carbon County midyear awards were given for Pennsylvania's Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Program on Tuesday morning.

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, police officers from Carbon County were recognized for their participation in the campaign.The presentation was in cooperation with Buckle Up PA, North Central Highway Safety Network and is part of PennDOT's traffic safety initiatives.Award recipients were Detective Lee Marzen of the Jim Thorpe Police Department, and Mayor William E. Hines of Beaver Meadows.Those recognized included Brian Biechy, Lehighton Police Department; Mike Morresi, Beaver Meadows Police Department; Brian Markovchick, Weatherly Police Department; Tim Wuttke, Nesquehoning Police Department; Lee Marzen, Jim Thorpe Police Department; John Chulocke, PSP Fern Ridge; Matt Kuzma, Kidder Township Police Department; Joe Schatz, Jim Thorpe Police Department; and Audie Mertz, Mahoning Township Police Department.PSP Lehighton and the Franklin Township Police Department were also recognized but officers were unable to attend the program.From March 24 to May 4, police participated in the first Aggressive Driving Wave of the year, which focused on reducing the number of crashes due to distracted driving, speeding and work zone safety. Aggressive Driving Wave 2 is scheduled for July 7 to Aug. 31 and will target behaviors such as speeding, taligating and running red lights.Certain departments also participate in Special Enforcement, which targets other driving behaviors that need attention in that particular area.