LaPorte Police Department releases impaired crackdown results

LAPORTE, Ind. -- The LaPorte Police Department announced Thursday that officers made seven alcohol-related arrests during the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" impaired driving crackdown. The enforcement was conducted Aug. 19 – Sept. 5.

“While our efforts did result in the arrest of several individuals, that was not the goal for this campaign,” said Assistant Chief Tom Heath. “Our aim, first and foremost was to keep LaPorte roadways safe, and hopefully, save a life,” Assistant Chief Heath continued. “According to our results, I believe we’ve been successful in meeting that objective.”

In all, officers dedicated 45.5 hours of overtime towards Indiana’s annual mobilization against impaired driving. There were approximately eight arrests made by officers working special impaired driving patrols during the 17-day enforcement six of which were for Operating While Intoxicated. Citations were also issued for other violations, including Driving While Suspended and Speeding. A total of 17 citations and 35 warnings were written by the officers working special impaired driving patrols during this period.

To learn more about Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement efforts, visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” was supported by federal funding allocated to the La Porte Police Department from the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). More than 10,000 law enforcement agencies participated in this nationwide enforcement effort, which generally occurs around the Labor Day holiday.

(Source: This was a press release provided by the LaPorte Police Department.)