Idaho will launch a new DUI Enforcement Team next week

 - STATESMAN STAFF

Published: 10/03/08


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Idaho State Police troopers in southwestern Idaho are establishing a DUI Enforcement Team that will hit the streets next week.

Night coverage in the Treasure Valley will be doubled, with even more troopers working on Friday nights, said ISP Region 3 Commander Captain Steve Richardson in a press release.

"A disturbing figure is that on average during these peak weekend night hours, approximately one out of every 10 vehicles you pass on the road is probably being driven by a DUI driver," Richardson said. "Within Region 3, our officers have seen a greater than 50 percent increase in DUI arrests this year versus the same time period last year."

Thirty-six advanced portable breath testing devices have been issued to ISP troopers statewide, with Region 3 officers receiving 13 of them, state police said.

Many ISP officers are now Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) and have received special training to detect impairment caused by various drugs, state police said.

While the portable devices are accurate detectors of alcohol, they do not detect other kinds of impairment.

More than 41 percent of all highway deaths in Idaho in 2006 resulted from crashes involving impaired drivers, Richardson said.

The public can report suspected drunken drivers using the REDDI (Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately) hotline. From a cell phone, dial *ISP (Star I-S-P) or from any other phone dial 1-800-233-1212.

Bethann Stewart: 377-6393

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