LaVergne PD Increase DUI Checks for Holidays

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The La Vergne Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and other law enforcement agencies across Tennessee, to enhance Drunk and Drugged Driving enforcement from December 15 to January 1, during the holiday season. The statewide “Booze It & Lose It” campaign is part of a national mobilization to prevent drunk and drugged driving.

According to La Vergne Chief of Police Mike Walker, La Vergne Officers will utilize Sobriety Checkpoints, Alcohol Saturation Patrols (ASP), and aggressive traffic enforcement to locate drunk or drugged driving violators on La Vergne’s streets and highways. Through November, La Vergne Officers have arrested 244 people for Driving Under the Influence. This is a 41.1% increase in arrests for DUI, compared to the 168 arrested during the same period in 2015. In 2016 DUI Arrests, the LPD has also experienced an increase in DUI by cause: alcohol 38.5%, drugs 78.8%, and both alcohol and drugs 32.3%.

Walker said, “All our Officers on Patrol will be out looking for drivers who are under the influence. By virtue of a THSO grant for overtime, we will have additional Officers working throughout the holidays working Alcohol Saturation Patrols and Sobriety Checkpoints. DUI leaves behind a wake of innocent victims. We will be out looking for drivers who are under the influence. So this is your warning – “Booze It & Lose It!”

Increased state and local messaging about the dangers of drunk and drugged driving, coupled with sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, aim to drastically reduce alcohol-impaired driving.

“This time last year, there were 223 lives lost to impaired-driving crashes across Tennessee,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Our partnership with local law enforcement is vital to combat drunk driving this holiday season.”

A single DUI conviction can cost an individual $5,000 or more, in addition to jail time. An offender could also be required to attend drug and alcohol treatment or to install an ignition interlock device inside his/her vehicle. Any penalty imposed by law pales in comparison to the injury or death of a loved one.

The THSO provides grant funding to support La Vergne Police Department’s efforts during the “Booze It & Lose It” holiday enforcement campaign. For more information about the THSO, visit www.tntrafficsafety.org or contact Arriale Tabson at [email protected].

 

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