Added DWI patrols in December
The Minnesota State Patrol will be participating in the annual December drunk driving enforcement wave along with officers and deputies from approximately 400 other Minnesota law enforcement agencies in an effort to identify and arrest impaired drivers and encourage motorists to make safe decisions.
Sgt. Curt S. Mowers said, “We all need to work together to make a strong traffic safety culture in Minnesota. One way to do that is to make impaired driving socially unacceptable.” Holiday parties and special local events in regions around the state will be targeted. Specific dates and times for the project will be ongoing the whole month of December.
In 2011, Minnesota recorded 136 alcohol-related traffic deaths — accounting for 37 percent of all traffic deaths — matching historical trends. Alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities continue to be a serious problem in Minnesota. Overall, males and young adults are overrepresented in alcohol-related crashes and account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. Aside from the injuries and deaths, penalties for drunk driving can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars-worth of fines, loss of driver license, loss of license plates and even your vehicle.
State Patrol Lt. Jason Hanson said, “We strongly encourage drivers to plan ahead not to drink and drive instead of causing needless tragedies or facing arrest. We also want everyone to support this project by reporting impaired drivers.”
The state patrol is asking everyone to plan ahead not to drink and drive, and to report those drivers who are believed to be driving impaired.
DWI enforcement and education is a component of the state’s core traffic safety initiative, Toward Zero Deaths (TZD). A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe and smart driving behavior. TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes – education, enforcement, engineering and emergency trauma response.
Comments (24)
Add commentadded patrols
Just another waste of money. The last I read Crow Wing County wasn't even on the list of "bad" counties for DUI anymore. If they are going to use "extra" patrols and then put them in the counties where they are needed. Around here its just an excuse for Barney Fife to make some easy overtime money.
Citizens Arrest!!
Nail the cops with a citizens arrest! Gomer did!
Ha, good one Nan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SoDiZdpqFM
Best show ever
I like the idea of extra patrol!
The thing that suprises me is they make the anouncement of extra patrol and still get people on DUI. 10 years ago I had a good friend killed by a drunk driver!
My hats off to Gommer
There should be more like him.
Screw the DWI check points,
Screw the DWI check points, just let the drones fly overhead so we can get this Orwellian police state moving along!
Bring it on
The faster we can get to the "new normal" the better we can adjust.
Mav
Who care's. Remember the world is supposed to end on the 21st or something like that. LOL
OFB
Ya, the Myan calendar says the 21st of Dec. Now tell me why they are selling calendars for 2013????
More cops, perfect!
More cops, more tickets, more please. Cops SHOULD be pulling more people over and actually writing tickets, not just warnings. You want to see people slow down? Rest assured if they get a pullover, they are going to get a ticket, no warning. And then make that ticket sting severely. Say nothing less than $500 for first offense. Hats off to more cops on the road. I hope they bust mountains of idiots who should not be driving drunk or speeding like they stole the car they're driving.
vanryzer
Charging someone with a fine is great, but we need to collect on it! Look at the warrents list and see all the people running around who have warrents for DUI and they are still driving!(Many have more than 1 DUI) You can stop them all you want but if we don't enforce the punishment what good is it. All we did is add to the expense of extra payroll.
purposed
obviously got some speeding tickets, and now is venting. Too bad.
more laws, more taxes, more cops, more laws...
Get the drift? It's about the money, the power and the chance to get some "free money". Prove you have a "DWI issue" in your area, get more money... which by the way isn't free, it's another way for the state to extract more out of us. We have police forces twice the size they were in the 70's in Brainerd, but the population of the town is the same. I have been through the drill 7 times now, our boys in blue, maroon and brown pull people over according to the time of night, lie to the drivers and then try to surmise if the driver has had more than a few. I was maced, cuffed and tossed in a holding cell having had nothing in my system... I drove though downtown Brainerd at 11:55PM...a bit to slow, they flipped on the lights and told me I had rolled through a stop sign. I hadn't rolled any stop sign, they were shopping for revenue, I paid a high price for their greed. The state patrol pulled me over last year, 9:30 at night, on a Friday, accused me of throwing a cigarette butt out the window, I laughed at him and told him I don't smoke, never have, he persisted until he looked at my DL and discovered we are neighbors, his attitude changed then. My friends, the entire thing has gone wrong, it's not about protect and serve, it's now "seize and extort". It's time for it all to go away and start over, limited constitutional government with no zcars, special panels or unholy alliances between law enforcement and fleecing operations like MADD.
Sorry lou, the outcome still doesn't justify the means, I've lost pals to drunk driving too, it's a choice they made in most cases. And if the extortionists (state patrol and sheriffs dept) actually set up road blocks, it may be time for "Minnesota Spring", NEVER let them violate you, don't let them dig in your pockets, search your vehicle or seize you from your home without a warrant... PERIOD! They will do ANYTHING to drag you into "the system", that's how they justify their jobs and our ourstuffed "judicial building".
I can't wait for the responses from the fascists on this one!
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Wildman1- F & B - the rest
Yep...I have known some victims, also know some guilty, and know quite a few that have been tried to be squeezed into the guilty box. Nobody wins in this issue for sure. This being said.......
Wildman1 = Hammer to nail head.
Fair n balanced = I recommend establishments just over & a bit beyond our County lines for optimum viewing...especially downtown St.Cloud.
Purposed's 1st comment = Bingo
In a nutshell it does seem to be a bloated enterprise.
While we are on this blue line related subject...does anyone know how that worked out for the B.P.D. fellow that allegedly left the Holiday Inn on sale establishment with that gal some years ago (the one was that was "alleged" to be fleeing on foot)??? I don't recall seeing a follow up on that. Must have missed it I'm sure. Can anybody refresh my memory??
wildman
The only thing I would disagree with Wildman on is that I believe if you could get the true figures there are WAY more than twice the law enforcement on the road (or sitting at Super America) now days than there was in the 70's. Anyone care to guess how many sheriff deputies are on the payroll now as compared to the 70's. I would say at least 10 times as many now as then. Someone please prove me wrong.
And it gets worse...
And the sheriffs dept tells us they need a bigger building...again... to house more of them and their equipment. They try to sell us on the idea that's it's all about "public safety", that's far from the truth, it's about power and money. If you are going to wait for one of the half dozen sheriffs dept "water patrols" to save you, your time will be better spent planning for your funeral. They are a recovery operation only, the never save anybody. All of this spending for "public safety" needs to be turned around and we will live with it, the lower taxes, less hassle and fewer confrontations with the money grubbing parasites jacking us around because of what time of night it is.
purposed
how do you figure he lied? I've been pulled over when I was younger by the MHP, and can say they are very professional, and usually gave me a break. A lot will depend on your attitude when stopped. You trying to tell him the law, doesn't work, as you found out.
Anything
they can do to get drunken murderers off the road is fine by me. If you drink, don't drive, it's simple.
bumped your heads
You people have bumped your heads! The founders set in place strict rules about search and seizure, DO NOT fall for the "it's public safety" trick and DO NOT give up any rights protected by the constitution. People by the thousands (millions) have died either trying to get the protections we have or trying to keep them, we will be at it again soon the way it looks. These people cannot be trusted now that we have given them powers they cannot handle. The State patrol has added dozens of officers in the last decade and not all of them are pure as the driven snow, this goes for our little city and county too. It's about revenue, and they will bend any rule necessary to keep the machine fed. The individual that accused me of tossing a cig out the window was flat out lying, he gets away with it most of the time, not with me, I won't stand for tyranny and oppression on our streets, brought on by our unwillingness to stand up to the tyrants... government.
Time to turn this mess around, clip the MHP by 25%, the city cops by 50%, the county by at least 40% and sell the left over equipment, BE DONE! If your waiting for one of them to come and "save you"... it will be to late when they get there, I promise!