Pocono News Section

DUI Enforcers Caution Against Drinking and Driving

DUI Enforcers Caution Against Drinking and Driving - Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 04:17AM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Wednesday May 05 2010
Some dedicated DUI enforcers were honored Wednesday in Lycoming County.

Coincidentally, the awards were handed out during Cinco de Mayo, a holiday often celebrated with alcohol.

Old Lycoming Township police and the State Police at Montoursville are tops when it comes to taking drunk drivers off the roads in Lycoming County.

The two departments have some of the highest training and best DUI arrest records per officer in the county.

Old Lycoming Township Police Chief William Solomon said, "Our guys are out there standing along the road doing DUI checkpoints at 3am while everybody's home in bed, obviously because they care. They want to make sure that the roads are safe for everybody."

Task force members call DUI enforcement a continuous battle.

Even as the officers and troopers were being commended for the efforts, signs began popping up around town promoting Cinco de Mayo, a holiday known for it's association with alcohol.

Statistics show many DUI-related crashes occur during traditional drinking holidays, but the DUI enforcers in Lycoming County are determined to prevent that from happening here.

Solomon warned, "Go ahead and celebrate, but don't drive. If you drive after you've celebrated, you will be arrested."

Officers are encouraging all revelers to find a designated driver.

Although the number of fatal crashes in Lycoming County are down this year, the coroner's office reports nearly half are still DUI-related.

Solomon continued, "Obviously I'm very happy with the statistics that the DUI crashes are down. But we're not done yet. I'll be happy when there's zero. And we're going to continue the heavy enforcement, we're going to continue more enforcement until we do that."

Officials with the DUI task force say they'll continue conducting checkpoints, roving DUI patrols, and other enforcement efforts throughout the year.