WSP gets on the Taser bandwagon

centralkitsapreporter.com has an interesting article about DUI arrests and Taser usage. A summary follows:

SHELTON — Pulled over by a Washington State Patrol Trooper for a DUI and becoming increasingly noncompliant and agressive screaming “Come on, you want to fight me?”... Although this was just a scenario and the “driver” was actually Trooper Kevin Forrester, an instructor at the Washington State Patrol Academy in Shelton, it’s a common situation.

...“The Taser is a technology that has been around for a while, and is proven to be safe and effective in bringing a non-compliant individual into compliance without the need for additional use of force,” said WSP Chief John Batiste.

...Forrester then stood up, continued to resist arrest and was tased a second time before rolling onto his stomach and putting his hands behind his back.

...Trooper Eric Ludlow, of the Poulsbo Detachment, was one of the weapon belt instructors undergoing Taser training at the academy on Thursday.

...WSP will first distribute additional Tasers to those detachments that have shown the highest rate of use of force, for example, areas like Seattle or Tacoma, according to Fakkema.... As for District 8, which includes Kitsap County, Fakkema expects the five detachments — Port Angeles, Poulsbo, Shelton, Hoquiam and Naselle — to each have two Tasers by June.

Originally posted at: Washington DUI News.

A tougher new law for drunk drivers: Seize their cars

I just found this article on DUI punishments at mtexpress.com. A summary follows:

Drunk drivers behind the wheels of cars and trucks continue to be a nightmare on the nation's roads and highways, and sterner measures are justified to rid the public of these menaces.

A new tactic catching on in several states is to seize vehicles of drunk drivers, impound them for various periods, and in at least one county in Oregon, auction off the cars after multiple arrests.

...The same summary shows that 10,135 persons were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2004, 8,674 of them by sheriffs and local police, the other 1,461 by Idaho State Police.

For a staggering perspective of what this means economically, the 103 deaths in DUI accidents led to $330 million in a variety of costs in lost productivity, insurance, medical, law enforcement and the like.

...If fines and the threat of jail time don't persuade drivers to observe sobriety laws, then loss of a cherished vehicle might create second thoughts when "one more for the road" is uttered.

Originally posted at: Oregon DUI News.

More news about DUI punishments

Convicted first-time drunk-driving offenders can now be found cleaning up roadsides in Tennessee wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a drunk driver," the Associated Press reported Dec. 31. Read more:

· http://www.t-g.com/story/1134272.html
· http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1211&dept_id=169692&newsid=15851484&PAG=461&rfi=9
· http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C578816%2C00.html

Lawmakers hope signs can shame drunk drivers

I was just perusing DUI news form accross the web and just ran into this gem from the Concord Monitor. According to the article:

A new Tennessee law is enlisting the power of shame to discourage drunken driving - even though law enforcement, the governor and various experts are calling it an expensive and bad idea.

Starting today, convicted drunken drivers are required to do 24 hours of roadside cleanup while wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a Drunk Driver."