December is chock-full of celebrations and festive cheer. It’s also when law enforcement sees a jump in drunk driving incidents. Eugene Police will be out with overtime enforcement this holiday season, looking to prevent the worst.
For years, EPD Officer Shane Orsborn has been the cop out on patrol making traffic stops looking for impaired drivers. He gets that folks want to have fun. But he wants them to know the heavy consequences of driving under the influence.
“You (could) crash with somebody in the car —a family member that you love," he said. "Especially around the holidays, there’s other family members from out of state --all over the place-- and you hit one of them and end up killing or injuring them. And then your fun night is over and you’re finding yourself possibly in prison.”
Orsborn said a DUII arrest means an automatic license suspension, mandatory court fees and a hard time getting insurance again.
He said people really need to "think before you drink." Before you start imbibing, make a plan. Designate a sober driver, call a ride service or just walk.
EPD will be conducting high visibility DUII overtime enforcement from now until New Year’s Day. The increased patrols are funded through an Oregon Impact DUII Grant. According to EPD, this grant enables the department to staff DUII patrols above the normal strength during the period of high visibility to ensure enough officers available to identify, stop and process impaired drivers.
Orsborn said the average DUII arrest takes from three to five hours to process. These arrests take police off of other crimes affecting our communities, he added.
