ID'ing a problem
Number of DUI arrests on the riseBy Mark Leberfinger, mleberfinger@altoonamirror.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
The 'typical' DUI offender
The 2008 Court Reporting Network Statistics Report gives a snapshot of who is arrested for driving under the influence. The profile was created from numerous categories in the report, with the "typical" marker indicating the highest percentage match per category.
StatewideBlair County
Sex/Age:Male/34Male/35
Marital status: Single/never marriedSingle/never married
Education:High school graduateHigh school graduate
Average income:$33,682 $24,482
Employment:EmployedEmployed
Reason police stopped person:Moving violationsWeaving (careless driving)
Average blood alcohol content:0.17%0.18%
Traffic history:No other DUI violationsNo other DUI violations
DUI arrests
The number of DUI arrests both statewide and in Blair County held relatively steady until jumping in 2008. Statistics for the first quarter of 2009 indicate the number in the county to be on pace for record high.
StatewideBlair County
2009*10,954183
200854,082605
200752,259382
200649,602400
200545,398521
200444,289513
200342,094457
200242,095423
200141,372364
200041,676447
*Arrests as of March 31
Source: Uniform Crime Reports, 2000-09,
Pennsylvania State Police.
HOLLIDAYSBURG - Blair Township Police Chief Randall Lingenfelter was on Catfish Ridge when he spotted a car with only one headlight working.
He quickly turned around to catch up to the driver and pull her over.
Lingenfelter was participating in a recent anti-driving under the influence operation, based in Newry. There was no DUI arrest this time.
When she was stopped, the driver, a young woman with children in the car, jumped out of her Nissan Sentra, raised the hood and quickly dropped it. The movement led to the right headlight turning on.
"It was a loose wire," Lingenfelter said as he returned to his car to write out an equipment warning.
He and a second patrol officer were shut out for DUIs April 10 along with the rest of the Blair County DUI Task Force, which also set up a sobriety checkpoint on old Route 220.
It was one of the few times this year that Blair County police failed to make a DUI arrest.
As of March 31, police arrested 183 people for DUI in Blair County - an increase of about 11.6 percent, according to the state police Uniform Crime Report. Ninety-three of those arrests occurred in Altoona.
Blair County is on track for more than 730 DUI arrests for 2009, potentially the most for the crime this decade. Officers made 605 DUI arrests in 2008.
Participation in aggressive driver enforcement has helped fuel an increase in DUI arrests this year in Greenfield Township.
Township officers arrested 23 drivers for DUI by the end of March. During the same time last year, they made just seven arrests, according to the Uniform Crime Report.
"Because of our participation, our officers have become more aggressive in enforcing the DUI law. We have a zero tolerance policy for DUIs. If you're going to drink and drive, don't come to Greenfield Township," township Chief Ron Givler said.
The average blood-alcohol level in 2003 was 0.19 percent, about two times the former legal limit of 0.10 percent. In 2004, the legal limit was reduced to 0.08 percent. The average was 0.18 percent in 2008, according to state court data.
Officers made most of their arrests Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the data, with most people arrested between midnight and 4 a.m.
Christopher Cohn of the DUI task force said the statewide data show that Blair County doesn't stand out when compared to other counties.
"That said, alcohol has been and remains the socially acceptable drug of choice," Cohn said. "Alcohol causes more misery, more human illness and death and more property damage and destruction, but we still accept it as socially acceptable and use it to self-medicate.
"It's an issue that we have yet to come to grips with. We know there is a negative side to it. We don't accept how dark and deep that negative side can be."
Cohn cited several reasons for excessive alcohol use, including the economic downturn and people medicating to forget the pain of personal problems.
"But there are people who use alcohol in a socially acceptable way. It's not that it can't be done," he said.
There has been greater awareness by law enforcement of the seriousness of the alcohol problem. Cohn said a handful of officers who are well aware of the problem and its consequences have stepped forward and are "zero tolerance oriented."
Spotting a malfunctioning headlight or broken windshield is one way officers may make a vehicle stop that could lead to a DUI arrest. Most Blair County DUI arrests in 2008 occurred either from a vehicle crash or from a careless driving, or weaving, violation.
"[Weaving] has to be at least a couple times to create probable cause - two or three times over the center line or fog line," Lingenfelter said.
Wildly "off" driving speeds, such as going 25 mph in a 45 mph zone or going very fast through a similar zone, also will attract an officer's attention, he said.
During the recent operation, Lingenfelter later sat watching traffic at the Wye Switches intersection.
A driver of a Dodge Stratus drove past with one headlight not working. Lingenfelter quickly moved out with his emergency lights flashing.
The woman pulled over on Route 22, just outside of Duncansville.
Lingenfelter smelled tobacco coming from the car, but nothing that would lead him to giving the woman a field sobriety test.
"PA [registration] is current and valid," a 911 dispatcher told Lingenfelter.
The driver also received a warning card, which she would have to send back to township police or drop it off at the station proving that she had the headlight problem fixed.
Mirror Staff Writer Mark Leberfinger is at 946-7462.
|
theadvocate
|
|
|---|---|
|
04-29-09 11:06 AM
|
Klaus, wine in biblical times was juice before fermentation, non alcholic
|
|
GetReal99
|
|
|
04-28-09 3:22 PM
|
All I have left to say is people should get the FACTS, not hear-say about the police and how they handle things before opening their mouth.
|
|
epoch1
|
|
|
04-28-09 11:59 AM
|
Johnyboy: There may have been quotas in the past but everyone knows that requiring a set number of arrests/citations would be ethically wrong and would lead to a quick dismissal. And yes DUI arrests are encouraged because the school of thought is that less people will die if drunks are taken off the road. Hopefully I didn't lose you there. Also, I'm sure there is some confusion regarding Mr. Ketner but I don't know anything about that to comment.
|
|
JohnDoe35
|
|
|
04-28-09 10:01 AM
|
Well GetReal99 I don’t drink or drive and that means even having one beer and driving nor did I ever have a DUI in my life. I am just relating information that either I heard from friends, family or have personally witnessed and this crap does happen and does happen often. These days it seems you can get a DUI just thinking about driving your car. I know someone who was charged with a Dui for sleeping in the backseat in a bar parking lot?! That person should be commended for having good judgment not to drive then to be charged with a DUI from a overzealous cop! As far as the state police statement goes it’s the truth, police stations have quotas to meet every month and what better way then you get a DUI arrests, which is encourage by the local and state courts and officials from MADD. Also the number of DUI arrests that a officer can obtain throughout his career along with other attributes can lead to advancement from say a local township into the state police academy or a state cop p
|
|
GetReal99
|
|
|
04-28-09 8:00 AM
|
Hey JohnDoe35, if you wouldn't be drinking and driving in the first place, then you wouldn't shell out 2,500, so who is really to blame here? As far as the state police statement, ARE YOU KIDDING, you actually believe that????
|
|
FormerAltoonian
|
|
|
04-27-09 11:13 PM
|
Simply because a driver has an inoperable headlight, tail light, or license plate light does not mean they are three sheets to the wind. This does not provide probable cause to make a DUI traffic related stop. This happens here in the community I reside in as well and has caused me to become almost OCD about lights on my vehicle! I would rather see police officers enforcing traffic laws than cherry picking their stops for the best effect.
|
|
JohnDoe35
|
|
|
04-27-09 8:49 PM
|
And to respond to Chief Ron Givler “zero tolerance policy” I guess Ron that only applies your scam DUI setups that your department conducts every Friday and Saturday night, because god for bid if you live in Claysburg and someone breaks into your house; steals your property or harms your family its only then your department states there four famous words “Call the State Police” because outside of DUI’s your department is incompetent to handle these types of matters. So after you and Brian Ketner is done running away the customers from the local bars, because there afraid to have even one beer and drive down the road due to your “zero tolerance policy’ eventually your department is going to pull over the wrong person in one of your DUI scams and that person is going to file a wrongful arrest suit against Mr. Ketner and your police department and expose your department for what they really are and not what you profess it to be.
|
|
JohnDoe35
|
|
|
04-27-09 8:26 PM
|
Yes, there are lots of people that deserve DUI’s and create a threat to themselves and the safety of others; however, its big and easy money for everyone in the county, excluding the person getting the DUI. Its simple you get arrest for DUI you either get a public defender or go to someone like Tom Dickey, shell out $2500 or whatever to listen to him promise you the world and then hand your case over to his associate and plead you guilty to DUI and place you into one of the county programs, therefore more money for the county and everyone gets what the want including the arresting officer. I have a friend that’s a state cop and he swears that the easiest way to get promoted through the ranks of law enforcement is the number of DUI arrest a officer can accumulate. That Top Gun DUI award that MADD hands out every year means a lot more then saving life’s or protecting the rights of the innocent and or accused
|
|
SCHart
|
|
|
04-27-09 7:01 PM
|
I am glad the police are there for when someone decides to jump behind the wheel and assume they are ok. My police officer hubby's favorite thing to do is remove them from the streets...He gets the fact that DUI is murder and it could be his family or yours..Thanks babe for keeping us all safe.
|
|
KlausVR
|
|
|
04-27-09 6:55 PM
|
Hey DT Ron ... Excuse me, but I personally like the taste of beer, wine, and whiskey. And I do NOT drink to get "snockered" ... I stop WAY before that condition hits me. BTW, would you have interrupted the Last Supper to lecture those guys?
|
|
friday
|
|
|
04-27-09 6:43 PM
|
Boy Ron I sure hope you spelled Stupid like that on purpose or your just as "Stoopid" as the people you write about
|
|
Jaymodine73
|
|
|
04-27-09 6:22 PM
|
Ok Ron...put on your thinking bonnet...sound it out with me S-T-U-P-I-D...STUPID. Very good. See you can do it when even yourself quits hittin the bottle.
|
|
downtownron
|
|
|
04-27-09 3:50 PM
|
We need to bring back prohibition. There is no logical reason people drink except to get snockered. The stuff doesn't tastes good and is no good for you. When I see someone imbibing I usually stop and give them a lecture. Occasionally I will go into the bars and try and convince folks what they are doing is morally wrong. We should vote Blair county a dry county and put an end to this foolishness. If you ask me, about half the people who write in on this site on 5 sheets to the wind judging by their grammar, spelling, and logic. Either that or they are just plain stoopid.
|
|
85counts
|
|
|
04-27-09 12:27 PM
|
i repeat...close the saloons. the alcohol inbibers can get their fix at the pa. state monopoly stores. dui will be out. so will public intox. however they can replace it with "private intox." in that way they can arrest you for staggering from your living room to your bedroom. after all someone has to support the legal industry. don't bet this can't happen.
|
|
orwell
|
|
|
04-27-09 8:45 AM
|
First off, lowering the BAC limit to 0.08 was unnecessary and hasn't done anything to make the roads safer. As these articles point out, most (and certainly the dangerous ones) drunk drivers are up over 0.15 BAC. Second, roadblocks are unconstitutional and should never have been Okayed by the courts. Stopping citizens for questioning and a search is an outrage, but one the sheeple put up with in the name of "safety". Third, as dnaforever points out, the number of arrests is almost meaningless as an indication of behavior. The more roadblocks, roving patrols and anti-DUI police hours there are, the more arrests there will be.
|
|
voiceofreason
|
|
|
04-26-09 9:09 PM
|
You are all correct. let's allow people to get as schnockered as they want and run around with headlights out and cracked windshields. Maybe if we are really lucky when they hit one of your family members the drunk will get killed in stead of your family. Let us not forget the article a while back that said if PA or any state didn't lower their BAC level to .08 the federal gov't would hold back infrastructure moneies, resulting in higher PA taxes. I guess I just don't understand how you people can criticize law enforcement for making us safe by calling it a need for quota's, a financial windfall for local gov't, or just plain old cops snooping. Let's complain about something a little more legitimate.
|
|
Jenkins
|
|
|
04-26-09 8:41 PM
|
Big money to be made in the DUI field. A lot of the kickbacks go to judges and lawyers from their friends that own the mandatory schools. A known fact. Plus, cops are basically alcoholics as we all know, although drugs are their choice of recreation.
|
|
Keystoner
|
|
|
04-26-09 7:46 PM
|
This is only an excuse for the cops to stick their noses into citizens cars. Remember all of this no smoking b.s. started with no smoking on airplanes. Now you can't smoke within 1/4 mile of a school kid. Wait until Nobama is finished.
|
|
dnaforever
|
|
|
04-26-09 7:39 PM
|
I love how they turn a statistic - the economy is down so DWI is up. I notice the number of patrols, and road blocks are not taken into account. If they were only stopping every third weekend last year, but this year its every other weekend, but had the same stops per working shift, they could legitimately say DWI is up 33%. Also - notice how there's no credit for the public acting reposnsible, only a failure of the task force to catch some one. Since as another commentator mentions they beleive most are repeats, perhaps we better start roadside executions, that way the problem is solved once and for all. Not to mention seat belt check stations. the police state started a long time ago, most folks just don't realize what thhy lost.
|
|
CrimeStopper
|
|
|
04-26-09 6:24 PM
|
DUI Task Force is funded a lot by "Operation Our Town" (local donated funds)also these quotas you speak of? I hope you're joking. DUI's are more than just alcohol & include drug use. Alot of DUIs are repeat offenders. Our primary goal is to educate the dangers & let our communities know we're watching. It ***** that it hits the pocketbook so big but Mine & ur family both drive these roads & it's better to get the offender off the road b4 they harm our friends or family.
|
|
unkoolruckus
|
|
|
04-26-09 4:17 PM
|
What else do they have to do? Gotta get that quota!
|
|
AL2NAPA
|
|
|
04-26-09 1:34 PM
|
I'm all about getting the DUI drivers off the road, But isn't this a little like how a police state starts to act like.
|
|
KlausVR
|
|
|
04-26-09 12:56 PM
|
Wow ... greatgreat statsstats layoutlayout above!above! Oh yeah, not to defend DWI/DUI, but economy going to pot = more time on hands (devil's workshop) = more drinking (despite lower income) = more traffic tickets = boon to law enforcement (= boon for Dickey!).
|
|
VigilanteAdvocate
|
|
|
04-26-09 3:44 AM
|
Economy is in the stinker, so we'll see more drinkers!
|