Officers out on patrol in Kalamazoo keep an eye out for any possible traffic violations. This includes everything from non-moving violations to moving violations, like speeding, and even serious offenses, like drunk driving. A patrol car may respond to a report of a violation or happen upon a situation involving one, but that isn’t where all arrests are made.
Law enforcement officials will often run campaigns to target very specific offenses, most often drunk driving. These campaigns often include checkpoints that allow authorities to essentially conduct a large-scale investigation in a very short time period. Increasing enforcement during a DUI initiative is exactly what authorities in Michigan have been up to for the past several weeks.
The recent campaign targeting drunk driving ran from March 12 to April 7. During those three weeks, 26 counties across the state, including Kalamazoo County, offered up extra resources to step up the enforcement of DUI and related laws.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning noted that as a result of the increased enforcement, more than 13,700 traffic stops were conducted, resulting in approximately 8,000 citations and arrests. Of those 8,000 cases, charges relating to drugs or alcohol, like open intoxicants, accounted for 313 of them, and 451 arrests were based on drunk driving offenses.
That is a lot of individuals across Michigan that are now facing some possibly serious penalties that could affect much more than their driving record and insurance premiums. Consulting a defense attorney is certainly a good idea at this point, even if it is just simply to understand the options available after being charged with an offense as well as the risks and benefits associated with each.
Source: Detroit Free Press, “Michigan’s 3-week drunken driving crackdown leads to 451 arrests,” May 8, 2014
