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Thursday, January 29, 2009
Arrests for DWI Fall 5.4%
By T.J. Wilham
Journal Staff Writer
At least there is one good thing about the crashing economy: There are fewer drunks on the streets.
DWI arrests in Bernalillo County dropped 5.4 percent last year compared with 2007, and alcohol-related fatal crashes dipped to a 10-year low, according to data compiled by the Journal.
Statewide, there were 27 percent fewer alcohol-related fatalities, the lowest tally in a decade.
Police and anti-DWI activists say there are several reasons for the decreases:
â– To save money, people stayed at home to drink instead of going out.
â– Gas prices rose.
â– Enforcement increased.
"I am very encouraged by this, and I hope this is a continuing trend," said Albuquerque police Lt. Les Brown, who commands APD's DWI unit. "I hope people are getting the message."
The Journal recently compiled information using statistics from Metropolitan Court, the DWI Resource Center, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau. The data don't include people who were charged with both DWI and a more serious felony because of the way the cases are coded in Metro Court. For example, alleged drunken drivers charged with child abuse because their children were in the car would not be included.
According to the data, 6,898 people were arrested for DWI in Bernalillo County in 2008 compared with 7,293 in 2007. There were 19 DWI fatalities in 2008, compared with 32 in 2007.
Statewide, there were 128 DWI fatalities in 2008, compared with 176 in 2007.
"I think it is encouraging," said Linda Atkinson, director of DWI Resource Center. "Whether people are getting the message remains to be seen. The good thing is that both arrests and fatalities are down. If it was just arrests, that would be one thing, but the fact that it is both is a very good sign."
Brown said there have been more officers on the streets looking for drunks. APD conducted about 40 DWI checkpoints last year, compared with about 25 in most years.
Brown said his officers noticed toward the end of the year that bars were not as crowded and people were drinking at home.
"We are definitely out there working," Brown said. "The decrease certainly wasn't due to a lack of enforcement."
Bernalillo County sheriff's Sgt. Angel Torres said it might take a couple of years of decreases before authorities will be able to tell whether their hard work is paying off.
Torres said there will be even more DWI checkpoints and patrols this year.
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