[Background Index] [Media Relations] [Home]
Thursday, September 5, 1996
Highway Safety Commission recognizes DWI Task Force
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has awarded the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office DWI Task Force a Certificate of Recognition for "outstanding efforts to promote traffic safety."
The certificate, signed by Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster's Highway Safety Representative James E. Champagne, was awarded as part of the commission's "Campaign Safe and Sober." The award recognizes the collective efforts of Sheriff's deputies who participate in the DWI Task Force in the enforcement of impaired driving violations in North Caddo Parish.
Sheriff's deputies implemented the DWI Task Force in March 1995 in North Caddo Parish after two drunk drivers were involved in accidents that took the lives of two young men. In February 1995 deputies made three DWI arrests. In the task force's first month, Sheriff's Office North Patrol Sector deputies made 20 DWI arrests.
In the 11 month of 1995 the task force was in operation, deputies made 186 drunk driver arrests. Through the first eight months of 1996, deputies have arrested 197 drunk drivers.
The task force is made up of on-duty deputies and supervisors augmented by Sheriff's Office reserve deputies. It operates primarily on Friday and Saturday nights, times when statistics show the greatest number of accidents occurs.
North Patrol Sector Commander Lt. Joe Morris said the task force's effectiveness is due in large part to the "outstanding cooperation among our deputies and their willingness to shift their days off so we can put more deputies on the roads during those high-risk hours."
Morris said the task force is staffed with no scheduled overtime and with no reduction in standard services. He said supervisors have creatively organized their shift schedules to meet the needs of the citizens while accomplishing the goals of the DWI Task Force.
December 5, 1995
Sheriff's Office DWI Task Force to intensify during holidays
The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office DWI Task Force will intensify its vigilance on roads throughout the parish during the holiday season, Caddo Parish Sheriff Don Hathaway announced today.
"With the hustle and bustle of the holidays," Sheriff Hathaway said, "drinking and driving is more prevalent. Office parties, family get-togethers and other holiday social functions often include alcoholic beverages and, unfortunately, some party-goers over-indulge and then get behind the wheel to drive."
"Our DWI Task Force will be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of the drinking driver throughout the holidays," he continued. "We want to prevent drunk drivers from hurting innocent victims or themselves."
Even one drink can affect a driver's judgment, Sheriff Hathaway emphasized, and just three drinks can seriously impair judgment and render some people legally intoxicated.
"Impaired judgment can lead people to think they can drive safely when, in fact, they cannot," he explained. "Therefore, we urge everyone to take some time and plan alternatives to drinking and driving as they plan their holiday parties."
Sheriff Hathaway listed several ways people can help curtail drinking and driving:
"Our deputies don't want to have to arrest anyone," Sheriff Hathaway concluded, "but the safety of Caddo Parish citizens is uppermost in our minds. So, when you go to a party, try to keep in mind that you don't want a Caddo Parish Sheriff's patrol deputy to be your next 'chaser,' nor do you want one of our corrections deputies to be your next 'bartender.'"
December 5, 1995
Louisiana Legislature toughens penalties for driving drunk
The Louisiana Legislature has enacted tougher penalties for driving drunk, reflecting increased public attention and demands that these drivers be taken off the state's highways.
Recent legislation that toughens Louisiana's laws dealing with drunk drivers includes:
Under Louisiana law (La. R. S. 14:98), the maximum penalties for conviction of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) are:
First Conviction (a misdemeanor) -- Loss of driver's license for 90 days; a $500 fine plus court costs, and six months in jail.
Second Conviction (a misdemeanor) -- Loss of driver's license for one year; a $1,000 fine plus court costs, and six months in jail.
Third Conviction (a felony) -- Loss of driver's license for two years; a $2,000 fine plus court costs, and five years in jail.
Fourth Conviction (a felony) -- Loss of driver's license for two years; a $5,000 fine plus court costs, and 30 years in the state penitentiary.
Louisiana's "Implied Consent Law" (La. R.S. 32:661) states that if you operate a motor vehicle on the state's public highways you have given consent to a chemical test or tests of blood, breath, urine, etc., to determine the alcohol content of your blood. If you refuse to take the test, your license will automatically be suspended for six months for the first refusal, regardless of whether or not you are found guilty of DWI. If you submit to the test and your BAC is .10 or higher or you are under age 18 and your BAC is .04 or higher, your license will be suspended for 90 days for the first offense.
Louisiana's "Vehicular Homicide Law" (La. R.S. 14:32.1) provides that if you are the operator of a motor vehicle and are involved in an accident that results in a death and you are convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI), you can be charged with vehicular homicide. If convicted of vehicular homicide, you can be sentenced to as many as 15 years in the state penitentiary and fined as much as $15,000.
Louisiana's "Child Endangerment Law" (La. R.S. 14:98.2) states that if convicted of DWI while a child age 12 or younger was a passenger in the vehicle, you must serve the minimum mandatory sentence. In other words, the sentence must be without benefit of parole.
December 5, 1995
Background on CPSO's DWI Task Force
The DWI Task Force was implemented after two drunk drivers were involved in accidents which took the lives of two young Caddo Parish men.
There were three (3) DWI arrests in February 1995 before the implementation of the Task Force.
The Task Force was implemented in March 1995.
Through October 1995, there have been 141 DWI arrests, an average of almost 18 per month.
The Task Force is made up of on-duty deputies and supervisors augmented by Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office reserve deputies.
The DWI Task Force operates primarily on Friday and Saturday nights, when statistics show the greatest number of accidents occur.
Overtime total for the eight (8) months the Task Force has been in operation is about 50 hours.
December 7, 1994
Sheriff Hathaway Offers New Year's Holiday Safety Tips
For Caddo Parish residents, as for adults across the nation, New Year's Eve is a joyous and festive event. Parties and get-togethers abound, and people celebrate with good food and good cheer. But too much "cheery" alcoholic beverages can lead to a tragic alcohol-related traffic accident when the party is over and guests and family drive home.
Despite these grim facts, New Year's is also a time for resolutions to improve in the coming year. "You can help reduce traffic accident statistic," stated Sheriff Hathaway. "Promote the designated driver program, respect each designated driver and don't let friends drive drunk." He also offers the following tips for safer get-togethers throughout the year:
ALWAYS SERVE FOOD IF YOU SERVE ALCOHOL: High protein and carbohydrate foods like cheese and meats slow the rate at which the body absorbs alcohol.
SERVE NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Designated drivers of course require other types of beverages, and all guests should have the option not to drink alcohol.
DON'T LET PEOPLE MIX THEIR OWN DRINKS: Tending bar yourself or hiring a bartender lets you control the amount of alcohol in each drink. Use smaller glasses for beer or wine. Never force drinks on your guests, some may accept merely to avoid seeming rude.
STOP SERVING ALCOHOL ABOUT TWO HOURS BEFORE THE PARTY ENDS: Serve guests coffee, non-alcoholic drinks and more food. This will give their bodies time to absorb alcohol consumed. If a guest has had too much to drink, offer to pay for a cab ride home or have the guest spend the night.
The Sheriff recommends that every person makes following these simple procedures a part of their New Year's resolutions, so that 1994 can be a year in which all parties end happily.
Sheriff Hathaway asks us to remember that the party is not over until each guest returns home safely.