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Stemler works to curb drunk drivers
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Related Topics: Fairfax County
Fairfax County (Map, News) - As DWI coordinator for the Fairfax County Police Department, Jerry Stemler has worked for 23 years to take drunken drivers off the roads. The department recently wrapped up its "Safe December" enforcement program, which netted 54 arrests on charges of driving while intoxicated.
How is the department stepping up enforcement over the holidays?
They have a strong aggressive enforcement over the holidays from Christmas through New Year's - we refer to it as "high impact" DWI enforcement. If they're drinking and driving, we're going to be looking for them, and if they are impaired, they are going to be arrested. In terms of our county, we're a 400-square-mile county, we have eight district stations, and our regular standard patrol is always on the lookout for DWI in the holidays and in the evenings, and then we have special squads that go out and do nothing but DWI enforcement.
Explain sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.
Sobriety checkpoints are fixed locations where all drivers go through, and they're screened to determine whether or not they've been drinking, and if so whether or not they're impaired. Saturation patrols are a squad of officers that drive around and patrol a selected area, and saturate the area looking for drunk drivers.
How can more drunken drivers be taken off Fairfax roads?
First of all we must make sure that all drinking is legal. We don't want any underage drinking happening - we want to concentrate our efforts towards that. Second, we want to make sure that drinking does not lead to impaired driving, and third, we must make sure that impaired drivers are taken off the road.
Have increased fees for drunken driving had an impact?
It certainly has had an impact. There are fewer people drinking and driving. However, if you still have it happening, it's still a problem. Most people who continue to drink and drive are people that are problem drinkers. -
