Is this good or bad?
Headline: Huntsville police No. 1 in state for DUI arrests
The Huntsville Police Department’s DUI Task Force made more arrests than any other police agency in the state in 2007, according to a police department news release.
The DUI task force made 1,106 total DUI arrests. The entire Huntsville police force made a total of 1,483 DUI arrests, 226 percent higher than the second place agency, according to the news release.
So, does Huntsville just have a whole lot more fools drinking and driving than other parts of the state - which I find very hard to believe - or are our police just more proactive in catching the offenders?
I’m inclined to believe the latter. Rex Reynolds, former police chief and now “Director of Public Safety,” is a top shelf public servant who runs a great, professional department.
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It seems like Hville has less major crime so that may free up the officers. I know in Bham there is almost a murder or 2 a week.
I had to share this story with you and your readers Brian. This kinda freaked me out when I saw it today.
“Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You?”
http://newteevee.com/2008/03/18/comcast-cameras-to-start-watching-you/
Here’s a related story from Fox News in 2006 that I somehow missed:
“CELL PHONE (FBI can listen even when phone is turned off)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O61YfvPZGJs
Just curious, but I wonder if their conviction rate is consistent with the other parts of the state?
I think there’s a combination of factors that come in to play. First of all, effective DUI enforcement requires an experienced, well-trained police force. Most DUIs are harder to detect, more difficult to process, and more likely to go to court than other traffic offenses.
Another factor is that the department’s leadership must have an inclination directed more toward safety than revenue. An officer can write a fistful of speeding tickets during the time it takes to make one DUI arrest.
Still another factor is location. I was a State Trooper assigned to Birmingham from ‘78-82, most of it on the midnight shift. I worked Jefferson, StClair, Shelby, Walker, and Blount Counties. After that I worked of of Decatur for 4 more years. I was among the top Troopers in Alabama for DUI arrests. I made more DUI arrests in the wet counties and cities; however, the blood alcohol content was usuall not a high as the DUIs that I made in the dry counties. Also many of the DUIs that I made in the wet counties and cities were folks who lived in the dry areas.
I think that HPD is more proactive. The roadblocks catch a lot of DUIs, so I imagine that the HPD benefits from some economies of scale and specialization.
Matt - HSV is the second highest crime city in Alabama, and ranked #83 nationwide (Bham is #13). Plus, HSV is below national average in number of police for population.
http://www.city-data.com/top2/c405.html
Thanks for the link. Dang, Huntsville is close to Richmond, VA on the crime scale according to that site.
My perception of local crime must be really off. Then again I hail from Bham where literally there is constantly a murder on the North side of town.
DUI attorneys loves it.