A drunken driver gets behind the wheel an average of 87 times before he or she is arrested for the first time, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Of those that are convicted of driving drunk, more than half continue to drive on a suspended license.
The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers have partnered together to create Operation Report Card, a court monitoring program that works to ensure drunken drivers are prosecuted consistently in Illinois and fewer cases are dismissed.
"This program allows us to follow the adjudication of DUI cases and gather data regarding how they are handled so there is equitable treatment of offenders and victims from county to county," said Trisha Clegg, MADD project manager of the court monitoring program. "We believe increased convictions and consistency in sentencing would significantly thwart the problem of impaired drivers and provide a basis for stronger sentencing of repeat offenders."
The court monitoring program will track defendants from arraignment through the post-conviction process to create a database of facts about the adjudication of drunk driving cases in Illinois. The database will be analyzed and reviewed by a panel of experts and advisors
"Drunk driving is the most frequently committed violent crime in the nation," said Kristi Hosea, a victim services specialist for MADD. "We believe that Illinois' law enforcement are making the stops and writing the tickets, but there is a breakdown in the system somewhere between the street stop and the courthouse. We hope to shed light on this so that the system can be improved and drunk driving can be dramatically reduced in Illinois."
The program already has monitored more than 7,000 drunken driving cases in Illinois and expects to monitor at least three times more cases before a report about how drunken driving cases in Illinois are typically handled in the court system is released.
SOURCE
Showing posts with label Repeat Drunk Drivers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repeat Drunk Drivers. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Senate endorses warrants for drunk drivers
HELENA — The Senate is endorsing a bill to let police require repeat drunk drivers to submit to a blood alcohol content check.
Senate Bill 42 would let police obtain warrants to require blood or breath tests for repeat offenders when they have probable cause of that person driving while intoxicated.
Republican Sen. Jim Shockley of Victor said his bill will let police obtain electronic warrants from the field to stop serious offenders from finding a way around drunk driving laws.
The bill was endorsed Wednesday by a 35-14 vote.
Also Wednesday, the Senate gave final approval to a bill to create a drunk driving classification called "aggravated DUI" that makes new punishments for repeat offenders. The bill will be transferred to the House.
SOURCE
Senate Bill 42 would let police obtain warrants to require blood or breath tests for repeat offenders when they have probable cause of that person driving while intoxicated.
Republican Sen. Jim Shockley of Victor said his bill will let police obtain electronic warrants from the field to stop serious offenders from finding a way around drunk driving laws.
The bill was endorsed Wednesday by a 35-14 vote.
Also Wednesday, the Senate gave final approval to a bill to create a drunk driving classification called "aggravated DUI" that makes new punishments for repeat offenders. The bill will be transferred to the House.
SOURCE
Monday, January 24, 2011
Cops Spot Car Damage, Arrest Drunk Driver
Braintree police spotted Stephen La, 30, of Randolph driving on Granite Street with what appeared to be fresh damage from an accident early Sunday morning.
A piece of La's Infinity EX35 – the rear bumper – was extending out from the vehicle, and so officer Kenneth Murphy pulled him over and immediately suspected La was intoxicated.
"La agreed to perform several sobriety tests and at the conclusion of the tests he was placed under arrest," Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a press release. "Once at the police station, La agreed to take a breath test and recorded a reading almost twice the legal limit."
The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
He was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
SOURCE
A piece of La's Infinity EX35 – the rear bumper – was extending out from the vehicle, and so officer Kenneth Murphy pulled him over and immediately suspected La was intoxicated.
"La agreed to perform several sobriety tests and at the conclusion of the tests he was placed under arrest," Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a press release. "Once at the police station, La agreed to take a breath test and recorded a reading almost twice the legal limit."
The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
He was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
SOURCE
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Facebook shaming for drunk drivers voted down
There will be no Facebook shaming of those arrested for driving under the influence by posting their mug shots, the council of a California beach city decided late Tuesday.
While drinking and driving is a huge problem in Huntington Beach, aka "Surf City," the council gave a "no" vote to their colleague's proposal to put repeat offenders' mug shots on the police department's Facebook page.
Devin Dwyer wanted to put the information on the Facebook page, saying before the meeting, "If it takes shaming people to save lives, I am willing to do it ... I'm hoping it prevents others from getting behind the wheel and getting inebriated."
During discussion Tuesday, council member Kevin Bohr said the proposal "might be well-meaning, but it is misguided, misdirected ... It's the wrong tool at the wrong time."
City officials noted that arrest information is already available online via the police department's website.
Council member Connie Boardman was perhaps the most eloquent when she spoke of the repercussions such an action could have.
"I appreciate council members Dwyer's efforts to deal with this serious problem of drunk driving and thinking creatively," she said. "But, "repeat drunk drivers, well ... they're addicts; they're alcoholics, and putting their picture on Facebook is not going to stop them from drinking. But what it will do is humiliate their parents and terribly embarrass their children.
"Children of alcoholics live in a private hell as it is, and I don't want this city to make it any worse for them," she said. "You know how savvy kids are with Facebook. A picture that appears on the police department's Facebook page is not going to stay there. It's going to be on the home pages and (Facebook) 'walls' of hundreds of kids at the high school or middle school where the children of that alcoholic go. These kids may have real successful in hiding a secret that they're deeply ashamed of, and we've just outed them. And I just don't want to contribute to that."
SOURCE
While drinking and driving is a huge problem in Huntington Beach, aka "Surf City," the council gave a "no" vote to their colleague's proposal to put repeat offenders' mug shots on the police department's Facebook page.
Devin Dwyer wanted to put the information on the Facebook page, saying before the meeting, "If it takes shaming people to save lives, I am willing to do it ... I'm hoping it prevents others from getting behind the wheel and getting inebriated."
During discussion Tuesday, council member Kevin Bohr said the proposal "might be well-meaning, but it is misguided, misdirected ... It's the wrong tool at the wrong time."
City officials noted that arrest information is already available online via the police department's website.
Council member Connie Boardman was perhaps the most eloquent when she spoke of the repercussions such an action could have.
"I appreciate council members Dwyer's efforts to deal with this serious problem of drunk driving and thinking creatively," she said. "But, "repeat drunk drivers, well ... they're addicts; they're alcoholics, and putting their picture on Facebook is not going to stop them from drinking. But what it will do is humiliate their parents and terribly embarrass their children.
"Children of alcoholics live in a private hell as it is, and I don't want this city to make it any worse for them," she said. "You know how savvy kids are with Facebook. A picture that appears on the police department's Facebook page is not going to stay there. It's going to be on the home pages and (Facebook) 'walls' of hundreds of kids at the high school or middle school where the children of that alcoholic go. These kids may have real successful in hiding a secret that they're deeply ashamed of, and we've just outed them. And I just don't want to contribute to that."
SOURCE
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