Law enforcement authorities said Wednesday they plan to launch Louisiana’s first statewide crackdown on drunk driving that features a new strategy to prevent drivers from refusing blood-alcohol content tests.
The effort will cover Labor Day weekend — from Friday at 6 p.m. to Tuesday at 6 a.m.
“It is probably the last big party of the summer,” said State Police Supt. Mike Edmonson.
State officials have waged anti-drunk driving campaigns over Labor Day weekend for years.
However, this one will include an expanded “no refusal” component aimed at suspects who refuse to take a blood alcohol concentration test, or BAC.
“The fact is people are still dying on the roads because they are drinking and driving,” said Norma Broussard, who is assistant district attorney of Jefferson Parish, which has waged similar crackdowns.
A national study, based on 2005 data, showed that 39 percent of drunk driving suspects in Louisiana refused to take the BAC test, which was the fourth highest of 37 states studied.
Under the plan for this weekend, law enforcement officials, citing probable cause, will seek search warrants from judges on standby to conduct a BAC test on a suspect who refuses to submit to one.
Fax machines will be one of the methods used to seek a court order. Emergency medical personnel will do the blood alcohol test.
Full article at The Advocate
If the officers truly have probable cause, which they can obtain from standard testing, such as the 'finger on the nose' etc, and if they obtain a warrant from a judge, I think this is a good idea.
I have no brief for drunk driving.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
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Yea - Im sure they are gonna do this in Shreveport- Bossier
ReplyDeleteWho Cares anyway.
Stupid population
Hey Jim -
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you post about BCPD hiring 4 more officers
This shows the stupidity of the City Officials. - - Fire five cadets that were at the academy - then more people quit, got fired or got smart its employ - so now we have to start over
Bossier City - Needs to clean house -
All City departments are hurting - lack of moral -
above comment should say got smart and left its employ
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise until recently how bad morale at the police department was. Was recently talking with some officers. I won't tell you what they said about the new direction of the department. Ask around how things are. You may be very suprised.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to modern America...where you can be tied down and forced to have blood drawn from you.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious what they was say about morale and the direction of the department now? Go ahead lets hear it, better or worse?
ReplyDeletecorrection, would say
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 3:22,
ReplyDeleteLet's see, where do I begin?
Jumping from call to call, officers were laid off, they took away college incentive pay, they took away the two percent longevity pay for senior officers, they hired a "chief" of communications and giving her pay equivalent to a major's pay, they are trashing civil service promotion regulations and promoting junior officers around senior officers, they are giving communication officers a pay raise (and this includes new one fresh off the street) which will make their pay equal to a lieutenant... Rumors are abundant that there are more grab your heels and take it bullshit is coming after the first of the year.
So, what do you think, Good or Bad?
Lot of things you said there about the police department. I don't believe the city is trying to trash civil service. I believe the legislature passed a law saying the Chief can appoint his Deputy Chief or Chiefs. If they passed the law is he wrong to do it? I gues only he can decide if that is the right thing to do. Don't the police have a civil service person that makes sure there interest is served? Chief of Communications, no idea about that so I have no comment. Going call to call, I know several officers, present and retired and it has always been that way.
ReplyDeleteSo what if they lost a little pay for going to college? The best officers have never set foot in a classroom. A couple of classes at BPCC don't make a police officer.
ReplyDeleteNo one said college make an officer any bettern but when a department starts cutting pay, whlie other local area agencies are increasing pay, where do you think the better officers will go? You get what you pay for.
ReplyDeletethe problem with this policy is that breathalyzers destroy the evidence. It cannot be kept except in the officer's report. Then if you want to take it to court, you have no evidence, simply your word against the officer's.
ReplyDelete