While the number of DUI arrests in 2009 significantly increased in Arizona from the previous year, Graham County bucked the trend and had fewer DUI arrests over the New Year's holiday than last year.
The Eastern Arizona DUI Task Force conducted saturation patrols New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and reported a total of nine DUI arrests out of 131 stops, according to Thatcher Sgt. Scott Mulleneaux.
Last year, 15 arrests were made on 218 stops during three saturation patrols in December and early January. While the total number of arrests was higher in the 2008 deployments, the actual percentage of arrests to stops remained the same at about 7 percent for both years.
According to the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Arizona's 16 DUI task forces made more than 14,000 DUI arrests in 2009, including nearly 4,500 from Thanksgiving to New Year's.
That is an increase from the 2008 numbers of about 10,500 arrests, with about 2,700 from Thanksgiving to New Year's.
What has increased in Graham County for 2009 is the usage of designated drivers. This year, officers noted 20 designated drivers out of the 131 stops with 16 designated drivers utilized out of 59 stops New Year's Eve.
"The increased use of designated drivers was very impressive," Mulleneaux said. "Our goal is to get zero DUIs and have all designated drivers (for those who have been drinking alcohol)."
He said it is apparent that message has reached a significant portion of Graham County's residents, and he is grateful they have taken the advice to heart.
This year, officers from the Safford, Thatcher, Pima and Clifton police departments joined officers from the Department of Public Safety to conduct the patrols. The task force is funded from a grant from the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
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