03/09/2009 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County DWI Task Force Grant -The Anoka County DWI Task Force continued through 2008. This pilot program aimed at impaired drivers was initiated in Anoka County in May, 2007. This project was designed to be high visibility, coupled with aggressive enforcement ef- forts. The goal is to remove Anoka County from the 15 deadliest counties list in Minnesota. Currently Anoka County is the third deadliest county for alcohol related crashes and fatalities (2005 -2007 Minnesota Department of Public Safety Impaired Driving Fact Sheet). In 2008 Anoka County saw a 33% reduction in alcohol related fatal crashes from 2007. While this is a tremendous accomplishment, there is still more work to do. The Anoka County DWI Task Force is federally funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 mil- lion dollars will be spent in Anoka County over the next 3 years on this program. The program is being carefully monitored by NHTSA. Since the beginning of this new program, several states have begun to adapt the program started here in Anoka County. Some of these states in- clude, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, Iowa and Utah. Others are expected to follow Anoka County's lead. In Minnesota, Ramsey, Rice, Sherburne, Stearns, and St. Louis Counties have all adopted this program. Members of the Lino Lakes Police Department have been instrumental in developing and implementing the program. Sgt. Bill Hammes is one of the programs co- authors and is responsible for a large portion of the programs day -to -day opera- tions. Forty Eight Anoka County DWI Task Force operations have been conducted during 2008 within Anoka County. Eight of these operations focused specifically in Lino Lakes. Local, county and state officers working this project have compiled the following statistics: • Arrested 546 impaired drivers • 8,856 vehicles have been stopped • 399 drivers have been cited for driving without a driver's license • 100 warrant arrests • Seized 42 vehicles to be forfeited as a result of impaired driving • 51 drug arrests • 2,200 traffic citations • 367 seat belt citations • 7,895 warnings issued • Of the 8,856 vehicles that were stopped in 2008, 400 of these were found to have a designated driver operating the vehicle for an impaired driver. Safe and Sober -The department has joined with the other 10 agencies in Anoka County to de- ploy officers utilizing an overtime grant to enforce traffic laws. For the 2007 -2008 fiscal year, a $41,000 grant was awarded Anoka County Law Enforcement agencies. Agencies will work in their own jurisdictions as well as joining together for saturation patrols in each of the participat- ing agencies respective jurisdictions. This stepped up enforcement effort is focused on reducing speeders, and strict enforcement of seat belt laws. 21