Arlington Steps Up DWI Enforcement

City launches annual campaign that will run until Jan. 1

The city of Arlington is trending toward a historic high in driving-while-intoxicated fatalities.

Arlington police are stepping up their annual DWI Task Force campaign -- deploying more officers, conducting more checks at bars and implementing a no-refusal policy.

Under the no-refusal policy, drivers stopped on suspicion of DWI are required to blow into a Breathalyzer or be served with a search warrant to obtain a blood sample.

Drivers would immediately have to submit the sample at a local hospital.

Already this year, 33 people have been killed in drunken-driving crashes in Arlington.

In the campaign's first week, police have made 34 bar checks, eight blood search warrants, 31 DWI arrests and five public intoxication arrests.

“Every arrest we make out there, we're saving two lives," Officer Stacie Brown said. "We’re saving those from the [drunken] driver, but we're also saving that [drunken] driver's life, too."

She also said prevention is a critical component of the fight against drunken driving. Prevention can be accomplished through education, she said.

Officers will tour Arlington schools to educate students about DWI laws and the dangers of drinking and driving.

The task force is scheduled to run through Jan. 1.

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