The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Summer Traffic Task Force has entered its fourth week of monitoring and enforcing alcohol-related offenses, according to a release on the department’s website.
The task force began May 21 and focuses on periods associated with increased impaired driving, such as graduation parties, proms and summer holidays. On Friday, June 13, police conducted a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location in the county to ensure evening festivities did not lead to unsafe and impaired driving.
The effort is expected to continue through the end of July. Participating agencies include the MCPD Alcohol Initiatives Unit (AIU), Automotive Equipment Section (AES), the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland-National Capital Park Police – Montgomery County Division, Maryland State Police (SPIDRE and Rockville Barracks), and Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
Since the program began, officers have pulled over 358 drivers, resulting in 426 citations, 510 warnings and 49 DUI arrests. This number only accounts for arrests made by task force officers and does not include arrests made by patrol officers in the performance of their duties. As such the actual number of DUI arrests made since May 21 is higher.
Since June 6, officers have conducted 156 additional traffic stops, issued 135 more citations, 212 more warnings and 16 more DUI arrests.
