Police dept holds contest to see who can arrest the most drunk drivers

[The Straight Story]

Pizza For A DUI
BPD holds contest to see who can arrest the most drunk drivers.

Boise, Idaho

When it comes to busting drunk drivers, Boise has some of the most alert cops around. On a regular Friday or Saturday night, as many as 70 Boise Police Department officers might be on the streets. In addition to that, five officers who specialize in recognizing drunk drivers are prowling the roadways. Just last year, BPD officers arrested 2,247 drivers for driving under the influence.

Now they have a new incentive. Last month, a BPD sergeant sent out a memo to all officers announcing a new contest, with prizes, for the most DUI arrests.

The memo, which was provided to BW after a public records request, is straightforward: At the end of every month, the individual officer with the highest combined total of DUI arrests and DUI assists will be given a prize. The prizes range from movie tickets to gift certificates from local restaurants.

"This community has made DUI enforcement a priority," said Lynn Hightower, Boise Police spokeswoman. "It's not about making arrests, it's about getting drunk drivers off the streets, period."

Although the goal is noteworthy, making a contest of arresting people has raised the eyebrows of Alan Trimming, who runs Ada County's Public Defender's Office. It's Trimming's department that ends up defending many drunk-driving arrests.

http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A217863

[Horse with no Name]

1. I thought quotas and other such nonsense were illegal

because it always led to profiling?

[soothsayer]

2. reno 911 did a good spoof of what happens when you have quotas

[Horse with no Name]

3. That show makes my head hurt

I don't know why.:shrug:

[AlCzervik]

10. was that the one where they did the unreal sobriety check point?

if so that was hilarious, i love that show btw, the burning man festival episode was killer, oh the outfits, ass less chaps and all.

[The Straight Story]

12. I don't agree with their methods myself

Cops should be doing the best job they can as that is what they are paid for.

When you make incentives then we start getting abuses of power - I admire the REASON they want to do it and am all for busting more drunk drivers, but as a former cop myself I would say I got into the line of work to make a better place to live for my family and others.

What I would do is simply show my appreciation each week perhaps and see if we could not get a different pizza place each week to donate pizza for the officers - a local jewish group used to bring us meals on the holidays we worked, mainly Christmas and Thanksgiving - all the trimmings included. And yeah, I know jews don't do the christmas thing in general but they knew that most of us did and working on those days for the benefit of all.

[Missy Vixen]

4. I disagree with the awarding of prizes

However, I'm the wrong person to ask re: drunk drivers.

My younger sister had significant problems in utero and after birth as a result of our family's car being hit by a drunk driver. My husband's sibling was killed during their childhood after their family's car was hit by a drunk driver.

There is NO excuse for drunk driving. Ever.

Julie

[Horse with no Name]

5. I'm sorry for your losses

And I agree. There is never a good excuse. Drink all you want but keep your butt planted wherever you are.

[The Straight Story]

6. Thats what I am doing right now :) (nt)

[EST]

8. I'm envious.

[Horse with no Name]

11. Keeping your butt planted?

;)

[The Straight Story]

13. Well, that too :)

I work from home, and they always need changes to code late at night. Have a few, write some code, have a few more...

[Demobrat]

7. I don't have any problem with this at all.

As long as the arrests are legal based on blood alcohol. Whatever it takes to get the drunks off the road.
How do you defend a drunk driver, anyway? "Yes your honor, my client's blood alcohol level was 3 times the legal limit, but he was a good boy and didn't hit anything"?

[prolesunited]

9. I have no problem with this.

Drunken drivers are a menace to themselves and everyone else on the road and they *should* be arrested.

If they have reasonable suspicion to make a stop, more power to them. I don't believe in the roadblocks where they stop every driver on a fishing expedition, though.

[Demobrat]

15. I don't even have a problem with the road blocks

at certain times, like on New Years Eve and St Patrick's Day - the nights when every other A-Hole on the road thinks it's obligatory to get behind the wheel shitfaced.

[Solo_in_MD]

18. My underage daughter was field tested on St Pattys Day

She went to pickup some friends who had overindulged at a local bar. Cops lit her up as soon as she cleared the parking lot. Did not take long for her to establish that she was the DD, though she did get to blow in the machine. Scared the crap out of her...not entirely a bad thing.

[Demobrat]

19. Nope. Don't see any negatives

to that situation at all. In fact you can probably rest fairly assured she won't be drinking and driving any time soon. A good thing!

[TygrBright]

14. As long as they maintain standards...

...for the QUALITY of the arrest (i.e., presence of legal evidence of DUI, such as BAL test results,) I don't see a problem with this. Heck, I wish the New Mexico law enforcement community would pick up on this as a way to reduce the slaughter on our highways.

Of course, they could get even better results for a lot less tax dollars by restricting the hours of sale, number of offsale licenses issued, and who's allowed to have a license. KEEPING BOOZE SALES OUT OF 24-HOUR GAS STATIONS AND CONVENIENCE STORES would be a good start.

Can you tell this pisses me off?

It was the first thing I noticed about New Mexico when we moved here: 1. Our car insurance rates went way up. "Why?" I asked, confusedly. After all, lots less traffic and highways than the DC area, and hardly and goddam Bambis to attack yer car... "Drunk drivers and uninsured motorists, Ma'am," the Geico rep said apologetically. 2. They sell booze EVERYWHERE here. They sell it in grocery stores, they sell it in pharmacies (including the all-night ones,) they sell it in convenience stores, they sell it in GAS STATIIONS, HELLO!!! Oh, and in liquor stores, and in bars, and in places like Sam's Club. 3. They are constantly pissing and moaning about the number of people killed by drunk drivers, coming up with "initiatives" like anti-drunk-driving PR campaigns, ignition interlocks, sobriety checkpoint 'blitzes,' and (I swear, I am NOT making this up): Talking urinal cakes.

Seriously. Tax dollars in the State of New Mexico are spent on high-tech urinal cakes that the state supplies free of charge to casino and bar owners. They have a motion sensor on them, and when it's activated, a warm and friendly female voice says (in English, naturally.. oy...) "Hey, big guy-- Here for a few drinks? Maybe it's time to think about taking a cab home or getting someone else to drive." Seriously. "Big guy" and all. MY EFFING TAX DOLLARS are being spent on this, while the 24-hour highwayside gas stations are selling hard liquor to anyone who wants it, whenever they want it!

So, yes, until the idiots at the state house decide that the fat cash BRIBES from the convenience store and tourist industry lobbyists aren't worth the number of people killed by drunk drivers, I think a contest among NM law enforcement types might be worthwhile.

God help us.

frustratedly,
Bright

[The Straight Story]

16. I was in Albuquerque once and saw something I will never forget RE drunk drivers

I was at a red light waiting on it to turn, then I was going to pull across the intersection and go into the circle K for some mountain dew.

A car came up behind me, half over the curb, one tire missing and sparks flying. Went through the red light and pulled into circle K.

Light turned and I pulled in as well, leery of course. Went in and the guy was yelling at the clerk, who told him he was drunk and would not sell him the beer. The guy tossed some money on the counter, walked out with the beer, and took off - sparks flying.

The guy at circle K called the cops, no idea what occurred after that as I left and got back on the 40.

[TygrBright]

17. Heh. That was one of the rare "responsible" clerks.

There are a few. Not easy on them, dealing with hostile drunks who want more booze. Not easy on them, the higher robbery rates, either.

We just ended yet another lege session in which much earnest time and thought was spent on 'reducing the problem' of drunk drivers. This year's bandaid on the sucking chest wound: We can (maybe... if the higher courts don't kibosh it...) demand that people moving here from out of state with lots of DUIs recently have ignition interlocks installed on their cars.

Mind you, this leaves enough loopholes to drive a whole fleet of semitrailers through, but it's 'another step forward.'

And no, there was (once again) no serious talk of restricting hours and points of sale. Heavens, no. The bribes nice and warm in their campaign chests, our noble dogooding legers wrinkled their brows earnestly, tut-tutted with great sincerity, and came up with the ignition-interlock-for-dummies concept as their latest offering on the descansos of the thousands of dead...

bitterly,
Bright

[lebkuchen]

20. In much of Europe there are unmarked police checkpoints

pulling over people at random...no probable cause.

The penalties are swift...you don't drive for a couple of months for a first offender, as I recall; the alcohol limit is much lower than in the US. As a result, I never have any alcohol in my system when I drive, nor do most Germans.

[951-Riverside]

21. Europeans put up with a lot of crap from their Governments n/t

[Rosemary2205]

24. IMHO the Europeans have more freedom than we do

they don't kill criminals, they let felons vote, they don't get hassled over a little weed........... and I'm pretty sure none of them is running a gitmo.

[lebkuchen]

27. Gays are allowed in the military

and protesters are protected by law.

[Karenina]

29. Enforcing drunk driving laws is "crap" in your view?

Whatever. :shrug:

[MazeRat7]

22. Well since DUI arrest is generally "subjective".. they should see significantly increased numbers..

Keep in mind, that in most states an excessive BAL is just "icing on the cake" that generally results in conviction. However, the "subjective" part of most statues says "Where the officers judgment is that the driver is impaired"... this can be due to being tired, distracted, on prescription medication, or anything else.

Getting a DUI arrest is easy since most cities leave that to the discretion of the officer and it does not need to be based on "hard" evidence. Getting a conviction, requires something more substantial like over-limit BAL or the like.

This reminds me of the time a major software company said they would pay $50 for each bug a developer discovered and fixed. Needless to say, they discontinued the policy 3 months later.

MZr7

[SoCalDem]

23. Not a bad thing at all unless the cops are getting the drivers drunk

:)

[donheld]

25. Good n/t

[slampoet]

26. The next contest is to see how many Cops we can catch beating their wives!!

Turnabout is fair play after all.


We know that cops tend to do this and who cares about their rights if they're breaking the law right?

[kath]

28. I have NO sympathy for drunk drivers,

and think that the penalties should be harsher, like they are in most of Europe.

And I wish that the cops would start going after all the people that run red lights, rather than setting up all their little speed traps all over the place. Running red lights causes LOTS of acccidents. (no time to look for stats now)