Nearly 200 DWI Suspects Arrested within 14 Days
By Officer Tasia Martinez
The APD DWI Unit put 190 people behind bars for driving impaired during the New Mexico State Fair. During the 14-day period, DWI Units conducted daily tactical operations surrounding the fairgrounds as well as nightly DWI saturation patrols. There was also one checkpoint. The efforts proved to be highly effective resulting in the DWI arrests as well as 2185 moving and pedestrian citations and 50 vehicle seizures.
DWI Officers say their efforts were well worth the many hours of work dedicated to protecting motorists and pedestrians during the State Fair festivities. At least two of the drivers arrested for DWI were driving with a child in their vehicle. Multiple DWI suspects were arrested for subsequent DWIs which resulted in the high number of vehicle seizures. Police also say that one of the individuals arrested was a suspect in a vehicular homicide.
Officers used a high visibility technique in the area immediately surrounding the Expo NM Grounds. The goal of these tactical plans was to increase the detection of impaired drivers and prevent collisions, particularly those involving pedestrians. LASER equipment was used to detect speeders and both bad drivers and jaywalkers were cited.
“The DWI Unit is dedicated to making our streets safe for everyone. The tactical operations were a success in that no fatalities were reported in the area of Expo NM.” Albuquerque Police Department Traffic Division Commander, Eric Garcia, said. “We also sent a strong message to the community that drinking and driving will not be tolerated.”
