Whether you are heading to the beach, heading to a BBQ or going out of town for Labor Day weekend, you can expect to see increased DWI patrols. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has announced a boost in DWI patrols between the dates of August 19 and September 9 in an effort to catch impaired drivers during the weeks surrounding Labor Day, according to KETK NBC. The department announced that it would focus its patrols on locations considered to be “high-risk,” with the efforts occurring at times when drunk driving-related crashes occur most frequently. It is a common practice for law enforcement agencies throughout the nation to increase their efforts to catch intoxicated drivers around major holidays.

According to the KETK NBC’s announcement, DPS troopers had the following results from last year’s Labor Day enforcement period (during patrol operations that are considered to be routine):

  • 1,879 DWI arrests (about 503 of those arrests directly resulting from higher patrol levels)
  • 24,779 speeding citations
  • 4,062 tickets for driving without insurance
  • 3,890 seat belt/child safety citations
  • 1,238 fugitive arrests
  • 895 felony arrests
  • 889 drug arrests

With elevated patrol levels, it becomes more likely that an arrest for an alleged driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense will occur. If you arrested for this offense, you will need to take immediate actions so that you do not end up having to suffer the harmful consequences of a DWI conviction. These types of convictions can result in thousands of dollars in fines and fees, driver’s license suspensions and possibly even incarceration. Sometimes, officers are so eager to catch drunk drivers during special enforcement periods that they can end up making arrests that are based on insufficient probable cause or weak evidence.

At my law firm, The Law Office of Kerrisa Chelkowski, I am dedicating to aggressively defending my clients’ rights. I know that there are many unmerited arrests that are made, and it is my goal to help individuals avoid unfair convictions. While I work as a San Antonio criminal defense attorney, I have valuable experience as a prosecutor as well. This gives me additional competitive edge when working on my clients’ DWI case and other criminal defense cases. Contact my firm today for help with your case!