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Driving While Intoxicated Enforcement - Grant Evaluation, 1981

NCJ Number
82731
Date Published
Unknown
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Enforcement Program of St. Louis for the fourth grant period from December 1980 through September 1981.
Abstract
In December 1977, the St. Louis County Police Department implemented a new approach for removing intoxicated drivers from the road. The DWI program features deployment of off-duty officers on an overtime basis to patrol during late evening and early morning hours in areas with a high incidence of alcohol-related automobile accidents. The effort was funded by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Program goals include increasing detection of individuals driving-while-intoxicated and reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents. With the exception of reducing the number of accidents, the DWI Program met the objectives for this period. Officers working in this year's program increased apprehensions of DWI suspects by 3.7 percent to reach 1,114 program arrests. These additional apprehensions were accomplished using less total hours than past grant periods. Total alcohol-related accidents increased 4.7 in this grant period compared to last. However, the increase occurred principally in the category of property damage accidents; accidents with injuries decreased 2.3 percent. Program participants decreased the processing time for arrests by 13 percent during the period. A total of 49 percent of all DWI defendants received a suspended imposition of sentence, 10.2 percent of the DWI cases went to trial, and 67 percent were found guilty. Graphic and tabular data are included along with a few footnotes.