Crime & Safety

Sumner Officers Remind Citizens -- A Taxi Is Cheaper Than a DUI

As Pierce County gears up for more DUI patrols this St. Patrick's Day weekend, Sumner residents got some food for thought on the repercussions of a drunk driving arrest.

 This St. Patrick’s Day, officers, deputies and troopers from across Pierce County will team up to stop drivers who leave bars and parties drunk behind the wheel.

They'll be walking into bars and sending extra patrols to popular bars in Puyallup and Tacoma, watching for overservice and drunk driving.

This New Year’s Eve, . Educating citizens about the repercussions of DUI is important, say officers – and public safety isn’t the only thing to be concerned about.

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Tuesday evening, the got a first-hand look at the drunk driver arrest and booking process, led by Officer Sullivan.

Sullivan works the night shift in Sumner – he’s seen a lot of DUIs. He spoke to the class about warning signs he looks for when a car passes him – weaving, jerky movements on the roadway or driving with no headlights.

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When he pulls them over, drivers tell him all kinds of stories he said, but he is able to literally look into their eyes and tell if they are intoxicated or not.

“The eye test is impossible to manipulate,” said Sullivan.

While residents listened to his presentation, two city employees sipped vodka cranberry in the police break room, with Chief John Galle playing bartender. After a couple drinks, Beth Ann Wroe and Joe Fessler were given a DUI assessment by Sullivan.

They followed his pen with their eyes, stood one leg and walked heel-to-toe across the hallway.

Fessler, who hadn’t eaten all day, failed the eye test gaze and miscalculated his steps. His blood alcohol level was almost two times the legal limit when tested with a breathalyzer. Wroe's alcohol levels continued to climb even after she stopped drinking.

Sullivan said that people are often caught off-guard by what could push someone over the legal limit.

“It’s not against the law to drink, but it is against the law to drive drunk,” said Sullivan.

After someone is convicted with a DUI, the costs begin to accumulate – most convictions end up costing more than $5,000.  Attorney’s fees can cost thousands alone, then, if an interlock is required, a monthly fee must be paid to the courts. Restitution is a significant part of a DUI conviction and violators can be billed for taking an officer off patrol to assist in their evaluation and arrest.

“It takes four to five hours for a typical DUI – and that’s someone who is being cooperative,” said Sullivan. “That’s time that I’m off the street and unable to take other calls.”

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This weekend, DUI patrols will be out at local bars and stopping by house parties to make sure impaired revelers stay off the roads.

"We're asking everyone who anticipates driving after drinking to make the right call: secure a designated driver before stepping out, or call a taxi," said Deputy Chief Bryan Jeter of the Puyallup Police Department. 

Law enforcement agencies in Pierce County and throughout the state will conduct holiday DUI patrols from March 9-18. Over a similar time period last year, 161 motorists in Pierce County were arrested for DUI. Approximately 150 were arrested in 2010.

A similar emphasis patrol last year netted 34 arrests on St. Patrick's Day.


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