Agencies increase holiday patrols
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 30, 2003
If you plan to ring in the New Year with booze, don’t drive.
Police agencies around Snohomish County are beefing up patrols to nab drunken drivers tonight and through the weekend.
At least a dozen local police agencies received grants from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to add extra patrols during the holidays, according to Tracy McMillan, Snohomish County DUI Task Force coordinator.
The State Patrol will have 15 extra troopers on the roads around Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties. The Everett Police Department will have at least two extra officers patrolling for people who choose to drink and drive. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office also will send out extra deputies.
"We didn’t have any drunk driving fatalities over the Christmas holiday. We don’t plan on having any over New Year’s. We’ll do everything we can to prevent them," said State Patrol spokesman trooper Lance Ramsay.
The State Patrol has added extra troopers to patrol for drunken drivers since last month. Troopers in District 7, which patrols four counties including Snohomish County, set a new state record for DUI arrests in a single month, nabbing 478 drunken drivers during November.
"If you drink and drive, figure on cutting a check for about $10,000 and spending a night or two in jail," Ramsay said.
To avoid the hassle of fines or jail time or harming anyone on the road, including innocent victims, police offer the following advice:
If you can’t afford a taxi ride home, there are three towing companies in the county offering free rides home on New Year’s Eve.
The program, TOWED, Towing Operators Working to Eliminate Drunk Driving, is sponsored by Crown Distributing, a Budweiser wholesaler in Arlington and is a last resort for people who have had too much to drink and are impaired.
"First and foremost, we want people 21 and older who choose to drink alcohol to do so responsibly and never drink and drive," said Gigi Burke, vice president at Crown Distributing.
However, if people can’t get home safely, a call to one of the following towing companies will result in a free ride home for themselves and their vehicle.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
