Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994 TAG: 9401110197
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Police attribute the increase to a special state-financed program of patrols and checks which began in November to catch drunken drivers.
Police told City Council on Monday night they believe the extra patrols are working, because there were no serious accidents or injuries caused by drunken drivers in December.
Police made 97 arrests for drunken driving in December. In December 1992, there were 51 such arrests, and 65 in December 1991.
While it might be impossible to prove a direct link between the stepped-up patrols and the lack of serious accidents, police said they were encouraged by the results.
Police are financing the heightened enforcement of drunken-driving laws with a $30,000 state grant that has been used to pay overtime.
Of that, $10,000 was spent during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays. The rest will be spent on holidays and other periods during the next few months when police suspect drunken drivers might be on the road.
Since the stepped-up enforcement began, police have filed 195 charges for traffic offenses, including 28 for driving with a revoked license, two for habitual offenders and 31 for speeding.
These statistics reflect only the special program financed with the state funds and do not include regular police patrols.
Police Lt. Ramey Bower said officers reported less traffic on the streets late at night during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Police believe the publicity about the checks for drunken driving caused some drinking motorists to stay off the streets.
Councilman John Edwards said some people might interpret the higher arrests to mean that more drunken drivers were on the street this year.
But George Snead, director of public safety, said he believes the opposite is true.
"I wouldn't claim a direct relationship, but fortunately we had no bad accidents over the holidays," he said.
"We would like to think that the exposure and heightened public awareness about the issue is having an effect."
by CNB