DWI Task Force arrests 1,600

• By JASON BROWN
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Nov 5, 2009 - Page: 1BA

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

LAFAYETTE — State Police in Troop I have arrested 1,600 impaired drivers and issued more than 10,000 citations this year.

Trooper Stephen Hammons, spokesman for State Police, said the DWI Task Force has accounted for about 25 percent of those arrests.

“The DWI Task Force has complemented the work of our other troopers on the road by being able to solely focus on one issue,” Hammons said.

The three-person task force works full-time to remove impaired drivers from the road.

The unit has been in effect since last year.

The holiday season is approaching and the number of arrests likely will rise.

“In order to keep you and your family safe during this busy travel season, troopers will be out enforcing all Louisiana laws,” Hammons said in a news release.

Troop I has investigated 52 crashes involving 58 fatalities.

“I can say that last year we had a decrease in the number of fatal crashes,” Hammons said  in an e-mail.

A 15 percent decrease to be exact, according to figures Hammons provided. 

“We are continuing to emphasize our enforcement efforts, high visibility patrol, and ongoing educational efforts,” Hammons said. Those efforts include visiting schools, businesses and public functions.

The Lafayette Police Department’s Alcohol Traffic Action Campaign also was busy through the first six months of the year, recording 311 arrests through the end of July.

Hammons urged those who plan to drink to designate a driver.