Johnson City police officers arrested 12 people on DUI charges over the New Year’s holiday, almost half the number from last year.
The holiday period began Friday and ended at the end of Jan. 1.
According to statistics from Sgt. John Hames, JCPD records supervisor, officers arrested 20 people on DUI charges over the 2011-12 holiday.
JCPD’s arrests account for almost all the DUI charges for the holiday. According to the Washington County Sessions Clerk’s office, 15 people went to jail for a DUI charge. That includes the 12 Johnson City police arrested.
JCPD Lt. Larry Williams said the holiday weekend was busy for officers.
“New Year’s Eve we were busy but we weren’t slammed,” Williams said. “It was like a typical Saturday night. We had three extra officers that night.”
Five of the city’s 12 arrests were made on Jan. 1 between 2:20 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., while the others were made between Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted intense saturation patrols as well as numerous sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints over the New Year’s holiday. Results from those activities were not available Wednesday.
Most of that enforcement focused on Carter and Greene counties with 20 checkpoints between the two.
The THP also conducted a “No Refusal” enforcement campaign to highlight the new No Refusal law that went into effect last year. The law allows law enforcement officials to obtain search warrants for blood samples in cases involving suspected impaired drivers.
Of the 15 charged with DUI in Washington County, only one person had a charge of violation of implied consent as well. That charge is placed when a person suspected of drunken driving refuses to take a breath test or submit blood when asked to determine their level of intoxication.
masonjar writes:
January 3, 2013
7:48 AM
One DUI is too many. Even though there was twice as many DUI's last year and the number has dropped this year, how many drunk drivers didn't get caught this past weekend? That is a scary thought. Innocent lives are at stake when people chose to do such a stupid thing as drive drunk. But here is the thing, when people drink and start getting drunk, they don't think straight, they CAN'T think straight, so they don't realize that they shouldn't drive. So, the only logical thing for our local leaders to do is to control alcohol sales to very small limited amounts or stop selling it all together. When innocent people (little kids even) get killed because of a problem, then we need to fix the problem. I challenge everyone that cares about this issue to contact your local government leaders and challenge them to act on stiffening the penalties for DUI, reducing how much alcohol a person can buy, have police departments to do more road blocks, etc. Please don't let another innocent life be lost and a family destroyed.
privatetwo writes:
January 3, 2013
11:23 AM
When a drunk driver kills several people in your family, including your father and an unborn child, your thoughts to drunk driving will change.
masonjar writes:
January 3, 2013
12:49 PM
lubyrd1989, It is actually TN state law to make public the times and locations of these check points. It is crazy and I don't understand why a law exists so as to protect drunk drivers, but what else would you expect from our government? I can't say it enough, if the good people of America don't start standing up for what is right, our country is going to fall. It is now so bad that pot is now legal to smoke in a couple of states. My heart sinks to think about how many fatalities they will have due to people driving while all smoked up on pot. Our country is getting to the point to where bad people just about out number the good people. When the good people lose the majority, it is over folks. Lawlessness and a complete disregard for human life and safety. Please, everyone who cares, call your mayors, alderman, and commissioners and plead with them to do whatever they can to stop DUI's in our communities before another precious life is lost, God forbid it be a small child.
kimmies1 writes:
January 4, 2013
1:44 PM
I moved away from Johnson City a few years ago and have noticed when I look at the arrests there are alot of DUI and drug related arrests....What's up with you people? There is so much more to life than that next big buzz!!! Why not try it?
freespeech1 writes:
January 7, 2013
8:37 AM
Just one arrest of a dui is not a failure.... thats one less drunk driver that could of killed someone or themselves
provided.