The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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August 25, 2008

Law enforcement stepping up drunk-driving efforts

By Kasey Fowler, Staff Writer

Law enforcement officers will be stepping up their efforts and cracking down on drunken driving through the Labor Day weekend.

Lt. Mark Blodgett, of Enid Police Depart-ment’s traffic division, said EPD will have extra officers out to crack down on drinking and driving to keep the roads safe.

“We are going to have extra patrols out all weekend long. Their main goal is to find and identify drunk drivers, and if they have had too much, take them to jail,” he said.

The annual “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” campaign is going on now and will continue through the weekend. The campaign focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness.

“Labor Day weekend is the end of the summer,” Blodgett said. “Lots of people will be having parties and going to the lake. We are not cracking down on fun, but we are cracking down on drinking and driving.

“If you drink and drive this weekend you will go to jail,” he said.

Garfield County Sheriff’s Office also will participate in the campaign.

“We’re going to be out working some saturation patrols,” said Undersheriff Jerry Niles.

Saturation patrols are when several deputies will be out in particular areas, he said. He did not say where those areas would be.

Niles said the effort wasn’t just a weekend effort, and it wasn’t just during the night.

Drunken driving, he said, can happen at any time.

“It’s not just a nighttime offense,” he said.

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