Statewide Holiday DWI Crackdown Nets 2,170 Arrests; Central Minnesota Among Busiest

(KNSI) – Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, nearly 300 law enforcement agencies busted 2,170 intoxicated drivers during a statewide holiday saturation campaign. According to the Department of Public Safety, 24 of the agencies reported stops involving drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.30. That’s nearly four times the legal limit of .08.

“Every arrest represents a crash that didn’t happen, or a dangerous driver stopped before someone was hurt,” said Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson.

In central Minnesota, the busiest was the St. Cloud Police Department with 11 arrests, followed by Sauk Rapids Police with seven and the Waite Park Police Department with five. Among the sheriff’s offices, Wright County led the way with 41 drunk driving arrests, followed by Stearns County at 21, Sherburne County at eight and Benton County at five. The Minnesota State Patrol Office in St. Cloud busted 33 impaired motorists.

Statewide, the Rochester Police Department made the most arrests with 74, outside of the state patrol.

While the numbers tell an important story, some individual cases from the campaign highlight the serious dangers impaired drivers pose to communities.

In Eagan, officers were called to a fight between two people in a vehicle. The driver had a 0.357 BAC. Officers also discovered stolen tools, computer equipment and other suspicious items inside the vehicle. The highest blood alcohol content arrest in the state was in Norman County for a BAC of 0.41, more than five times the legal limit.
Spring Lake Park police arrested a driver for 0.14 BAC and charged the person with child endangerment. Officers said the impaired driver was returning home with their children from a choir concert. In another case, an impaired driver cut around a school bus with its stop arm extended as kids stood nearby.

Other incidents showed the dangers officers face and the recklessness of some drivers. A Columbia Heights officer was kicked in the chest during a stop with an impaired driver. St. Paul police arrested a driver with a BAC of 0.12 on Holman Field Airport runway—the driver was unaware he had even driven onto the runway.

Some offenders showed a pattern of dangerous behavior. South St. Paul police stopped one driver for impaired driving twice in a one-week period. Another driver was arrested for their sixth driving while impaired offense.

The Department of Public Safety says these were just some of the alarming arrests local law enforcement made during the statewide DWI extra enforcement campaign. The extra enforcement was covered by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds.

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