Police plan July 4 weekend drunken-driving crackdown in Ann Arbor area
If your July 4 celebrations involve alcohol, area law enforcement agencies warn you to think twice before getting behind the wheel. Officers will be conducting stepped-up enforcement operations in Washtenaw County to catch impaired drivers this weekend.
The special enforcement effort begins today and runs through July 10. It involves officers from seven departments, including the Washtenaw County sheriff's department and Michigan State Police, patrolling for more than 200 hours in various areas of the county to look for impaired drivers.
Police will be looking for impaired drivers this weekend.
In 2010, 357 people in Michigan were killed in alcohol and/or drug-related crashes, including two during the July 4th holiday, according to information provided by the Michigan State Police. Of those, 6 were in Washtenaw County.
In addition, 1,185 people in Michigan suffered serious injuries in alcohol and/or drug-related crashes. Of those crashes, 37 were in Washtenaw County.
For the first time, the crackdown this year will include 15 newly trained drug recognition expert officers, including Washtenaw County sheriff’s Deputy Douglas McMullen. These officers have been trained to recognize signs of impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.
“It’s basically another tool in the tool belt,” said Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Commander Dieter Heren. While officers receive extensive training in recognizing and dealing with alcohol impairment, “there’s really nothing that the officers are given to deal with people that are under the influence of drugs.”
In 2010, drug-involved fatalities increased by 29 percent with 153 motorists killed in crashes involving drugs. Some of that increase can be attributed to expanded testing requests, state officials said.
Nationally, 18 percent of all drivers killed in crashes in 2009 tested positive for drugs, according to NHTSA. In Michigan, 20 percent of drivers killed tested positive for drugs.
The extra enforcement begins at 8 p.m. each night. Tonight, it will be focused in the central University of Michigan campus area, in Saline along Michigan Avenue and Maple Road, along Main Street and Old U.S. 12 in Chelsea, in the Carpenter Road and Washtenaw Avenue area of Pittsfield Township and in the Ecorse and Ford Road area of Ypsilanti Township.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, enforcement efforts will focus on US-23, I-94 and M-14. Police will also be in the area of Michigan Avenue and Austin Road in Saline, the Main Street and I-94 area in Chelsea, the Main Street and Carpenter Road area in Milan, Michigan Avenue and Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township, and Grove Road and Rawsonville Road in Ypsilanti Township.
Police urge revelers to make a plan before drinking.
“Plan to take a taxi or designate a sober driver or stay where you are,” said Alyson Kechkaylo, the program outreach coordinator of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. “It’s a lot less expensive and it can save your life or the life of someone else.”
In Michigan, a motorist can be arrested for drunk driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher. A drunk-driving conviction carries with it an assortment of penalties, including court costs and fines, increased car insurance rates, legal fees and $2,000 in driver responsibilities fees.
Comments
fremdfirma
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.
Police Plan Revenue Enhancement Drive - would be a more honest, and more accurate, headline. This is always about the money, and I would very much like to see the aftermath statistics of how many alcohol-related offensed were charged versus everything else, and how much profit was made - I bet those figures would tell the tale! Also - in reference to the poster who suggested taking their cars, that would prevent them from re-offending, thus cutting off the gravy train of multiple fines, you see. I know they can't be at every block party, but stationing a couple cruisers in the parking lots of bars with an officer present to at least make a good-faith attempt (via persuasion please, and not the nightstick!)to prevent folks too wasted from getting behind the wheel in the first place would have a greater and more substantial impact while allowing them to connect with the community as something other than a predatory force - but since this would not bring in revenue, not going to happen. And if it did, there's the distinct possibility that instead of being pro-active and trying to prevent the crime, they'd just wait until the impaired driver left the parking lot and pounce.
snoopdog
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 1:35 a.m.
Cops like to and are forced to do tasks that bring in revenue and support their job functions and the top two ways of doing that are writing traffic violations and drunk driving or impaired driving arrests. You would think the third biggest revenue producer would be busting hookers and their johns in sting operations. Big bucks for the cities,township, the courts, the lawyers, the clerks, the bailiffs, the workers at the jails, the food companies that supply the jails, etc--etc--etc. How about busting burglars/rapists/thieves/pedophiles ? Nah, too hard and doesn't produce revenue for the city--township etc. Good Day
jcj
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:12 p.m.
"How about busting burglars/rapists/thieves/pedophiles ? Nah, too hard and doesn't produce revenue for the city--township etc. " To do this they need more community help! How much information have you provided the police concerning these problems?
townie54
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 4:09 a.m.
drunk drivers kill and injure more people than burglars,thieves ,or rapists snoop.But they shouldnt tell you where they are.Well drunks won't remember anyway
RJA
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:55 a.m.
I love the PLAN for the CRACKDOWN on impaired drivers. (to bad it is just on Holidays) I agree with Fedric and swcornell's posts. They certainly make sense to me.
Fredric
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:24 a.m.
I have no problem with the officers pulling the drunks off the streets. Do you want them out there on the roads when you are driving? Chances are if you get hit by one, you will be the one hurt as they never seem to really get hurt for some reason.
swcornell
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 9:29 p.m.
If you want to stop them from doing it again, TAKE THEIR CARS AWAY FROM THEM. Most drunk drivers will be repeat offenders. Just sit through traffic court one day. Many have already lost their license. They are drunks, they don't care about simple laws and they certainly don't care about public safety!
free
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:36 a.m.
Technically they can seize any vehicle used in the commission of a crime.
Fredric
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:25 a.m.
I like this. They do for Drugs , don't they?
ChunkyPastaSauce
Sat, Jul 2, 2011 : 12:09 a.m.
Within the US, on average, the majority of first offense drunk drivers do not repeat.
f4phantomII
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 8:22 p.m.
This is a real, "Man Bites Dog" story. I seem to remember similar stories just prior to Memorial Day, Labor Day, Christmas, New Year's Day, Saint Patrick's Day and so forth.
Atticus F.
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 8 p.m.
So I guess they don't have enough officers to respond to an emergency, yet they do have enough officers to chase around drunks at 2:00 in the morning. What a wonderful waste of my tax dollars.
tdw
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 8:26 p.m.
When you see or hear of the police not responding to an emergency because they are chasing around drunks at 2 am will you please let us know ?
Roy Munson
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 7:14 p.m.
If you are looking to get into trouble with a car, you are much better off going around town and breaking into a hundred or so of them. You will be punished less severely than if you make the mistake of having a few drinks then driving. That is assuming you would be caught breaking into the cars, which is a big assumption.
Atticus F.
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 7:56 p.m.
Now a day's you could violently assualt someone, and be in less trouble than if you had a couple drinks and drove home.
jcj
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 7:05 p.m.
I thought for a while maybe they were not going to tell which roads will be patrolled. Then I saw these two ridiculous paragraphs! Why don't they put spot lights (like they used to use at grand openings) out where they are going to be so the drunk drivers will know right where to find them to turn themselves in! The extra enforcement begins at 8 p.m. each night. Tonight, it will be focused in the central University of Michigan campus area, in Saline along Michigan Avenue and Maple Road, along Main Street and Old U.S. 12 in Chelsea, in the Carpenter Road and Washtenaw Avenue area of Pittsfield Township and in the Ecorse and Ford Road area of Ypsilanti Township. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, enforcement efforts will focus on US-23, I-94 and M-14. Police will also be in the area of Michigan Avenue and Austin Road in Saline, the Main Street and I-94 area in Chelsea, the Main Street and Carpenter Road area in Milan, Michigan Avenue and Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township, and Grove Road and Rawsonville Road in Ypsilanti Township.
tdw
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 7:12 p.m.
pvitaly....Nope and not even close
pvitaly
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 7:09 p.m.
Isn't it illegal for police to not announce which areas they will be patrolling? Is that called entrapment?
newsboy
Fri, Jul 1, 2011 : 6:39 p.m.
With only two cops left on the force in Ann Arbor, it's gonna be great 4th of July. BOTTOMS UP!!!!