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North Dakota cracking down on alcohol DUIs

In 2008, North Dakota had the highest rate of alcohol-related accidents in the nation.

In an effort to curb drunk driving, the North Dakota Department of Transportation recently unveiled a plan to step up its efforts to seek out intoxicated drivers.

The Regional Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Task Force was unveiled at a special event Sept. 14 in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Francis Zeigler, director of the North Dakota DOT, said the program is and effort that originated in North Dakota and will be launched Oct.1.

"We know alcohol-related fatalities occur not only on state highways, but on city, county and tribal roadways," Zeigler said.

"That is why the Regional DUI Task Force effort is so important. This program is all about saving lives," he said.

During a recent press conference, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said, "You know we often boast here in North Dakota that North Dakota is the safest state in the Union and it is, when it comes to homicide, aggravated assaults and burglary­-those types of offenses."

But he added, "We all know there is another side to that coin, [drunken driving]the other end of the spectrum where North Dakota is not faring well at all; in fact we rank among the very worst."

The stand against drunken driving will be North Dakota's largest in years, and will involve nearly 90 percent of all city, county, tribal and state law enforcement agencies working together.

Federal and state sources will provide funding for law enforcement agencies to put more officers on the road. More officers on the road means more eyes looking out for people who are driving while intoxicated.

The University of North Dakota Police Department and the Grand Forks Police Department, in cooperation with surrounding law enforcement agencies, will participate in the DOT's new program.

"The new endeavor is the Department of Transportation working with what is called a multi agency, which means we will work more closely with other agencies," said Lieutenant Jim Remer, Grand Forks Police Department. "Our officers will focus more on traffic enforcement, especially drunk driving enforcement."

Remer added there will be an increased level of coordination between agencies with the Grand Forks Police Department not only working with the UND Police, but also the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department and surrounding county sheriff departments.

"Together we will make a stand," he said.

Drivers on the UND campus will also notice a change. Drunken driving is an issue that has never been over looked by the UND Police Department, but with the new program in place they will have the tools to keep a more watchful eye for drunk drivers.

"We will monitor traffic closely," said Duane Czapiewski, Chief of the UND Police Department. "Our officers will be using their skills to identify those who are intoxicated while driving," he said

Authorities say that in the past five years, about half of all motor vehicle fatalities in North Dakota were alcohol-related. Last year nearly 6,000 people were arrested for drunken driving in the state. On the UND campus alone anywhere from 68 to 185 driving while intoxicated tickets are issued every year, with the average usually around 100 per year.

Czapiewski said the ultimate goal is to make the highways and byways of the state safer, and that includes the streets of the UND campus.

"The intent of the UND Police is to keep intoxicated drivers off of our streets and out of our community. UND has a high pedestrian traffic and we want to eliminate any dangers to our students, especially from impaired drivers.