Drunken driving madness in the courts

It’s so hard to decide which is the craziest part of today’s eye-popping Globe Spotlight story on judicial leniency in drunken driving cases.

Is it the episode where the judge believed a defendant who said, yes, he was driving while hammered, but also believed his lawyer, who claimed his client hadn’t driven on a public road before ramming into a house three times?

Or maybe it’s the one where the judge took the word of a teenager who blew 0.11 in a breath test, failed field sobriety tests, and then changed his story in court, claiming a friend had actually been driving.

Not guilty, despite the fact that he had admitted to lying under oath just minutes before.

So many barmy choices! We’ve got judges all over the state who are abandoning common sense, and in some cases, it appears, sanity, to free drivers who slide behind the wheel while wasted.

And we’ve got a savvy club of defense attorneys shamelessly working the system to make sure the jurists most hell-bent on acquitting drunken driving defendants are the ones who hear their cases.

Yet District Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly told the Globe, “I’m not sure that there’s something wrong there.’’

There’s something wrong there.

And it’s all happening out of view, in near-empty courtrooms, beyond the reach of even the court’s spanking-new, $75 million computer-tracking system.

Judges would never get away with so little scrutiny for so long if they were taking this lax an approach to, say, weapons charges.

To illustrate, I offer a reimagining of the loopiest anecdote from today’s Spotlight story - you’ll recognize it as the one where Taunton District Court Judge James McGovern encountered Jorge Pinto, who had showed up apparently inebriated for a hearing on his second OUI offense. The judge let Pinto leave the courthouse - behind the wheel of his car.

That made the judge annoyed - not at Pinto, but at those who had dragged him back to court.

Imagine, if you will, the same scenario with loaded guns substituted for loaded drivers: Police see a man brandishing a gun on a public street, and arrest him. Then when he arrives for a pretrial hearing, prosecutors suspect he’s been waving a weapon around again, and tell the judge.

“You waving a loaded gun around?’’ the judge asks the defendant.

“I waved a loaded gun around this morning, yes,’’ the man replies.

Then the judge does nothing. Free to go, the defendant heads right back out to the street, where he proceeds to pull out his piece again. And instead of throwing the book at him, the judge threatens to dismiss the whole case.

Gun charge or OUI, this is absolute madness. Driving a car drunk is just as dangerous as running around with a loaded weapon.

An astonishing 108 people died in drunken driving crashes in Massachusetts in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. And this staggering figure was one of the lowest in the country. Nationally, 34,000 people died in crashes caused by impaired drivers.

But the fatalities tell only a tiny part of the story. There are a whopping 17,000 OUI arrests in Massachusetts each year. And those are just the ones overstretched police manage to stop.

Imagine how many others are out there, in the bag, racing around in tons of metal, sure they won’t get caught, or worse.

“People just look at it and think . . . this is not going to happen to me,’’ says David DeIuliis, a spokesman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Massachusetts.

What is it about the mortal danger of drunken driving that is so hard for so many motorists - and judges - to take seriously?

In courtrooms, and on the roads, it has to end.

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Summer drunken driving crackdown kicks off in state

Summertime in Michigan means trips to the beach, barbecues and ball games, but it also means extra police officers on the road during the “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” crackdown.

Law enforcement agencies in 35 counties across the state will work stepped up drunk driving patrols July 1-10, which will include the heavily traveled July 4th weekend.

The effort is paid for with federal funds earmarked for traffic safety enforcement and administered by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP).

Grant-funded counties in southeast Michigan are Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Sanilac, Washtenaw and Wayne.

While the focus of this effort is drivers under the influence of alcohol, officers will be arresting any impaired driver and removing not only drunk drivers from the roadway, but also those under the influence of drugs, OHSP director Michael L. Prince said.

Although Michigan has experienced a decrease in alcohol-related crashes, fatalities and arrests, it has noted an increase in drug-involvement in traffic crashes and injuries. In 2009, drugs accounted for an additional 83 injuries and 89 crashes compared to 2008. In 2010, drug-involved fatalities increased by 29 percent with 153 motorists killed in crashes involving drugs. Some of that increase can be attributed to expanded testing requests.

In 2010, 357 people died in alcohol and/or drug-related crashes including two during the July 4th holiday period.

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Business owners and entrepreneurs who own any social venue and who are looking to start a cash business can now do there part in the prevention of Drunk Driving. Please visit alcobuddy.com. World's premiere Breathalyzer Vending Machine for more information.

Anti-Drunk Driving Coalition Recognizes Their Own

With most crimes, in most cities, a reduction in the numbers is something to be desired. In Santa Barbara County, however, DUI arrests are way up — and that’s a very good thing.

Some of the county’s most prolific and effective DUI-busters were honored Tuesday at a reception cosponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Office of Traffic Safety, and AVOID the 12. The event, in addition to presenting those distinguished officers with awards, was also dedicated to a presentation from a representative from the California District Attorney’s Association, highlighting resources available to police officers to help secure a conviction.

The officers, collectively responsible for 1,650 of Santa Barbara’s 3,100 DUI arrests in 2009, were presented with awards by MADD. Officer Kasi Buetel of the Santa Barbara Police Department, who tops the list with 349 arrests, was on her honeymoon and unable to attend.

The figure of 3,100 DUI arrests is itself a bright spot for the county, marking a significant increase from 2006’s 2,600 arrests. Much of the increase can be attributed to the actions of MADD and the OTS, both of which have made available grants and resources to deal with DUIs.

Officer Israel Reyes of Guadalupe, honored for his 44 DUI arrests along the 166 freeway, cites in no uncertain terms the positive influence of the grants, which make available overtime pay, a dedicated car for monitoring for DUIs, and additional training.

The congratulatory mood was punctuated by a somber address by Peter Lominick, whose son Max, a professional baseball player, was killed by a drunk driver in Florida. “This is a life sentence,” Lominick said of his family’s anguish.

Stephen Wagner, a Traffic Safety Resource Proscecutor with the California District Attorney’s Association, stressed the importance of cooperation between law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as his colleagues’ commitment to that mission.

Among the resources he outlined to investigate and prosecute DUIs was Alcoholic Beverage Control’s TRACE program, which allows investigators to determine where alcohol was purchased, and the ARIDE program, which helps officers spot non-alcohol related impairment

“You’ve got to know what you’re looking for,” Officer Reyes said of drunk drivers. With more resources available for training and supporting law enforcement personnel, spotting and apprehending DUI suspects will be more efficient than ever, allowing officers like Reyes to keep the streets safe.

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Business owners and entrepreneurs who own any social venue and who are looking to start a cash business can now do there part in the prevention of Drunk Driving. Please visit alcobuddy.com. World's premiere Breathalyzer Vending Machine for more information.