Fourth of July North Carolina DWI enforcement crackdown
In the last post, this blog reported about the traffic jam surrounding a Saturday DWI checkpoint operation near a resort community. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol will be stepping up saturation patrols on interstates and major highways in Pitt County and across the state over the Fourth of July weekend. The Highway Patrol will be joined in DWI enforcement over the weekend by local law enforcement agencies, the Alcohol Enforcement Division and the Wildlife Resources Commission in conducting DWI checkpoints, with an emphasis near recreational areas in North Carolina.
Last year, the Highway Patrol says officers charged more than 1,200 drivers with a North Carolina DWI over the July 4th holiday period. Law enforcement conducted more than 4,600 saturation patrols and DWI checkpoints last year, according to the Highway Patrol.
This year’s joint enforcement effort between Troopers, ALE agents and Wildlife Resources officers is part of the campaign operation “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive.” The program is targeted for the three major summer holidays, including operations conducted at the kickoff the summer on Memorial Day. Phase two of the operation runs Friday, July 1 through the Fourth of July. An additional phase of the campaign will run over the Labor Day holiday.
Colonel Michael Gilchrist, Commander of the Highway Patrol says “The Fourth of July holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods during the summer months.” Troopers will aggressively be enforcing North Carolina’s DWI laws, as well as other traffic laws throughout the holiday weekend.
Source: Cape Fear Business, “Highway Patrol, ALE and Wildlife Resource Commission Collaborate Assets in Operation,” 30 Jun 2011