Despite our insistence that police would be out with extra emphasis during the holiday crackdown, more than 2,100 Minnesotans were arrested and charged with driving under the influence between Thanksgiving Eve and New Year’s Eve.
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety, 296 police agencies came together during the crackdown to make 2,170 DWI arrests during the campaign.
“Every arrest represents a crash that didn’t happen, or a dangerous driver stopped before someone was hurt,” said OTS Director Mike Hanson. “I am grateful to the 296 participating law enforcement agencies and the individual officers, deputies and troopers whose work is making a difference and saving lives.”
Crackdown Highlights
Law enforcement shared some highlights (and lowlights) from the crackdown. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable arrests during the holiday crackdown:
- More than 24 agencies across the state arrested a driver who registered a BAC over 0.30.
- Officers in Eagan were called to a fight between two people in a vehicle. The driver registered a 0.357 BAC.
- Spring Lake Park Police arrested a driver for an aggravated DWI after they registered a 0.14 BAC with a child in their car while returning from a choir concert.
- A driver with a BAC of 0.12 was arrested on an airport runway, unaware they were on an airport runway.
- One driver in South St. Paul earned two DWIs in a one-week period.
- The highest registered BAC in the metro area was booked by the Minnetonka Police Department, at 0.38.
- The highest registered BAC in the greater Minnesota area was booked by the Norma County Sheriff’s Office, at 0.41.
- The West Metro division of the Minnesota State Patrol made the most arrests during the crackdown, with 207.
- In Greater Minnesota, the Rochester Police Department made the most arrests during the crackdown, with 74.
We tried to warn people about the crackdown, but it’s no surprise that many people still got behind the wheel after overindulging. Hopefully they have good representation and work to show the court that this was a one-off mistake.
If you or someone you know needs help fighting a DWI charge in the greater Twin Cities area, we hope you’ll connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
