With the help of funding from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Arizona law-enforcement officers arrested a record number of DUI suspects.
Behind the crackdown are myriad state DUI task forces, including the West Valley DUI Task Force, which coordinates special-night and weekend DUI suppression efforts to nail those who drink and get behind the wheel.
The Governor's Office supplied funding that allowed police departments to pay officers overtime for DUI patrol work.
In Glendale, the West Valley DUI Task Force brought in its fair share of suspects. Ninety-five drunken-driving arrests were made in the West Valley's largest city between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, when experts say revelers are more likely to hit the road.
Because people attend more holiday parties and events, travel and alcohol consumption tends to jump. In a typical year, more than 1,000 people nationwide die in drunken-driving crashes between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to Mother's Against Drunk Driving.
As a whole, the West Valley DUI Task Force netted 338 individuals on suspicion of drunken driving during the holiday period.
Enforcement events were held on New Year's Eve and the days following Christmas and Thanksgiving. As expected, the task force on Dec. 31 netted the most suspects, 56.
Although the holidays are over, the West Valley DUI Task Force warns drunken drivers that it's not slowing down.
The task force uses regular enforcement and checkpoints in which patrol officers descend on an area to find drivers who appear to be impaired. Saturation efforts often target heavily trafficked areas with restaurants and bars, such as Westgate City Center and Peoria's entertainment corridor along 83rd Avenue.
Other agencies that participate in the task force include Peoria, Buckeye, Surprise, El Mirage, Tolleson, Goodyear, Avondale and Phoenix with help from the Department of Public Safety.
Many of the West Valley agencies have leftover funds, which they plan to funnel into DUI enforcement throughout the coming months.
Most recently, Peoria accepted $52,000 in grants from the Governor's Office for DUI enforcement and speed-enforcement education.
Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said the state has plans to increase its support for the West Valley DUI Task Force this year, providing overtime pay for Maricopa County Sheriff's Office corrections officers to help book and process suspects.
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Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Pinal County, DUI Task Force receive highway grant
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force have been awarded $103,220 to fund overtime for DUI enforcement and collision investigation training.
The Governor's Office of Highway Safety provided these funds to further support the continuance of the Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force and to help ensure those traveling the roadways of Pinal County are safer.
In addition to the overtime and enhanced training funding, GOHS awarded $27,500 to the Sheriff’s Office for the purchase of an additional motorcycle to support the growth of their motor unit whose purpose is public education and enforcement of traffic laws.
The Task Force, formed in March, has played an important role in removing many impaired drivers from Pinal County highways. Agencies participating in the Task Force include the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Casa Grande, Gila River, Apache Junction, Coolidge, Florence, Eloy, Ak-Chin and Maricopa Police Departments.
Since the Nov. 24 Pinal County Holiday DUI Task Force Kick Off, more than 160 people have been arrested for driving impaired. DUI Task Force saturation patrols will continue through the New Year weekend with a “zero tolerance" approach to impaired driving. Drivers found to be impaired by alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested and booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Facility in Florence, AZ. Additionally, officers will be enforcing the "zero tolerance" policy toward underage drinking.
National statistics reveal that between Thanksgiving and New Year's 38 percent of all deaths from auto accidents are alcohol-related.
In 2008, 849 people were killed in Arizona in fatal crashes. Of those killed, 294 involved drivers who had a blood-alcohol concentration over the .08 limit. This represents almost 34 percent and does not account for drivers impaired by drugs.
“It is important for us, as law enforcement partners, to work together to educate the public and take a 'zero tolerance' approach when dealing with impaired drivers,” said Sheriff Paul Babeu.
“Gone are the days in Pinal County when a drunk driver is allowed to park their car or get a ride home after being stopped. When we catch someone driving drunk or impaired by drugs; they will be cuffed and taken to jail.”
Source
The Governor's Office of Highway Safety provided these funds to further support the continuance of the Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force and to help ensure those traveling the roadways of Pinal County are safer.
In addition to the overtime and enhanced training funding, GOHS awarded $27,500 to the Sheriff’s Office for the purchase of an additional motorcycle to support the growth of their motor unit whose purpose is public education and enforcement of traffic laws.
The Task Force, formed in March, has played an important role in removing many impaired drivers from Pinal County highways. Agencies participating in the Task Force include the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Casa Grande, Gila River, Apache Junction, Coolidge, Florence, Eloy, Ak-Chin and Maricopa Police Departments.
Since the Nov. 24 Pinal County Holiday DUI Task Force Kick Off, more than 160 people have been arrested for driving impaired. DUI Task Force saturation patrols will continue through the New Year weekend with a “zero tolerance" approach to impaired driving. Drivers found to be impaired by alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested and booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Facility in Florence, AZ. Additionally, officers will be enforcing the "zero tolerance" policy toward underage drinking.
National statistics reveal that between Thanksgiving and New Year's 38 percent of all deaths from auto accidents are alcohol-related.
In 2008, 849 people were killed in Arizona in fatal crashes. Of those killed, 294 involved drivers who had a blood-alcohol concentration over the .08 limit. This represents almost 34 percent and does not account for drivers impaired by drugs.
“It is important for us, as law enforcement partners, to work together to educate the public and take a 'zero tolerance' approach when dealing with impaired drivers,” said Sheriff Paul Babeu.
“Gone are the days in Pinal County when a drunk driver is allowed to park their car or get a ride home after being stopped. When we catch someone driving drunk or impaired by drugs; they will be cuffed and taken to jail.”
Source
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