Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi spoke with students at Duggan Academy in Springfield during a presentation about the dangers of drunk driving Monday. This comes 8 months after Cocchi was arrested for driving his state vehicle under the influence.
Speaking before a crowd of around 30 high school seniors, Cocchi recounted the moments leading up to his arrest by state police in September of 2024. He had driven from the Springfield Country Club to the MGM casino while under the influence, losing a tire in the process.
"I drank alcoholic beverages and drove. It's not okay. Period." Cocchi said to students.
After his arrest, Cocchi submitted to sufficient facts for a guilty finding in court, which waived his right to trial. He had his license suspended for 45 days, and was required to take an OUI education course. If he stays out of trouble until at least September, his case will be dismissed.
Now, the sheriff says he wants to use that experience to help others avoid making the same mistakes. In an interview before the presentation, Cocchi told NEPM that it wouldn't have been right to try and sweep his arrest under the rug.
"A lot of people say 'how come you just don't forget about it and try to let it be in the background and move beyond it?' he said. "That's not the right thing to do. The right thing to do is to share your experiences with others."
The presentation at Duggan Academy was organized by the school, and faculty said that Cocchi was brought on by Lavar Click-Bruce, boys basketball coach and also Springfield Ward 5 City Councilor.
Associate Principal William Snow said that it's important for students to understand the dangers that drunk driving can pose, especially for young drivers.
"The leading cause of death for high school students is car crashes. One third of those deaths happen during prom season," Snow said. "So we wanted to do something to try to just raise awareness, to try to get kids to think about the decisions they're making when they're driving cars."
Students that spoke with NEPM said the sheriff's appearance at the school was a surprise. While not familiar with his arrest back in September, senior Tijjani Chapman said that hearing his story helped her understand that drunk driving can impact anyone.
"It definitely just showed that anybody can go through it, no matter the age and that people shouldn't do it regardless how old you are. As a teenager, grown adult, nobody should be doing it," she said.
Cocchi says he will offer similar speeches to other schools and community organizations that want to hear it.
"I'm going to go on a tour, we're going to offer this up to every school district in my county. If they take advantage of it and they want me there, I'm there."
Cocchi was first elected sheriff in 2016, and he is next up for re-election in 2028.
