LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION PLANNER

Impaired Driving Is a Crime That Kills
As a law enforcement official you understand that impaired driving is no accident. It's a serious crime that kills nearly 18,000 people and injures over 250,000 others every year. Law enforcement agencies in every State and locality are serving on the frontlines in the fight against this deadly threat to America's communities.

Traffic Enforcement Is Crime Fighting
Highly visible traffic enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, are some of the most effective crime-fighting tools available to communities. Experience shows that when agencies conduct high levels of traffic enforcement robbery and other crimes are reduced. Every jurisdiction has countless examples of dangerous criminals who've been arrested thanks to professionally conducted traffic stops. And traffic crashes are also a leading cause of death for law enforcement officers - so it's personal. The threat is real, deadly and even more important, nearly 100 percent preventable if drivers obey the law.

Impaired Driving Fatalities Rising
After a decade of gradual success, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes have not significantly improved nationally in the last three years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that alcohol-related fatalities rose slightly from 17,400 in 2001 to 17,419 in 2002. An estimated 258,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present - an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes.

You Drink & Drive. You Lose. Campaign-Protecting Communities from Impaired Drivers
That's why NHTSA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), National Sheriffs' Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, Operation C.A.R.E, National District Attorneys' Association and National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators are asking you to promote and take part in the National Crackdown this holiday season.

Most States Have Already Joined
Every July and December, highly visible enforcement crackdowns are conducted at the same time throughout all 50 States. Currently, most States and the District of Columbia are using the You Drink & Drive. You Lose. message as part of their impaired driving prevention efforts. The campaign's messages focus on the relevant consequences of impaired driving like losing your license, money, time, job, friends and/or vehicle to deter drinking and driving. Research shows that these messages "stick" with audiences and help influence positive behavior.

Mark Your Calendars!
From August 27 to September 12, 2004, the You Drink & Drive. You Lose. Campaign will sponsor a National Crackdown. The goal is to unite the efforts of more than 10,000 law enforcement law enforcement agencies and thousands of traffic safety advocates throughout America to deter impaired driving. Similar 3-week efforts were held over the July 4th Holiday in 2003 and are also scheduled for July 2004.

The Message Is Clear - Americans Support Getting Tough on Impaired Driving
Communities throughout America support increased criminal justice efforts to stop this illegal and life-threatening offense. Studies show that the majority of Americans consider impaired driving one of our nation's most important social issues, ahead of healthcare, poverty/hunger, racism and education.

Nearly 97 percent of Americans view impaired driving as a threat to the community. As a result, the majority of Americans support increased use of enforcement efforts, such as saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, to protect innocent victims. Furthermore, three-fourths of Americans strongly endorse the use of stricter and more severe penalties against impaired drivers, to protect themselves and their loved ones.

It Takes a Criminal Justice System Approach
The key to protecting innocent victims from impaired drivers is to take a systematic approach that includes highly visible and coordinated efforts by law enforcement, prosecutors, judicial officials, traffic safety organizations and community partners.

Law Enforcement Leads the Way
Existing partnerships with State, county and local law enforcement agencies provide a pre-set structure for crackdown activities. Use these relationships to implement the crackdown. Every law enforcement agency has the ability to conduct saturation patrols to identify and apprehend impaired drivers. They are excellent enforcement and communication tools for deterring impaired driving. Small- and large-scale sobriety checkpoints also are allowed in most States and can serve as effective high-profile deterrents.

Suggestions for Planning your Activities:

• Make it easy and everyone will join the effort.
  
  
• Identify partners such as prosecutors, judicial officials and traffic safety advocates who should be involved and ask for their advice and assistance in planning your efforts.
  
  
• Call a special meeting of departmental and agency chiefs, sheriffs and colonels throughout the State. Ask them to take an active role in the crackdown and encourage other leaders to participate.
  
  
• Promote the issue at conferences and meetings as well as in publications and newsletters.
  
  
• Law enforcement is more likely to participate in crackdown activities if obstacles are removed that inhibit their participation.
  
  
• Make sure officers are aware that the indicators of intoxication are the same at .08 BAC as they are at .10 and that standard field sobriety tests have been validated at .08 BAC.
  
  
• Create interdepartmental partnerships to let officers know which divisions are participating in the crackdown.
  
  
• Provide agencies with basic information about the crackdown, including goals, implementation strategies, duration, event dates and evaluation tools.
  
  
• Everyone involved in the crackdown is a key partner in its success. Strive for 100 percent law enforcement participation in your community and/or State. A united front raises your visibility and creates a powerful deterrent message.
  
  
• Solicit input from prosecutors, judicial officials and traffic safety organizations on timing, strategies and evaluation methods for your effort.
  
  
• Allow individual departments to devise targeted implementation activities for the crackdown.
  
  
• Have law enforcement representatives available who are familiar with crackdown activities to assist community groups interested in joining the campaign.
  
  
• Let judges and prosecutors know that there may be an initial increase in impaired driving arrests. Now that the BAC limit has changed from .10 to .08 in some States, cases that may have been on the edge of the limit can now be prosecuted fully.
  
  
• Distribute information on any changes in the law to motorists who are stopped.
  
  
• Sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrol are excellent teachable moments to convey the seriousness of driving while impaired.

Publicizing What You're Already Doing
Every law enforcement agency has the legal ability to conduct saturation patrols and most States allow the use of small- and large-scale sobriety checkpoints. Highly visible enforcement is the foundation of the You Drink & Drive. You Lose. National Campaign. As with any criminal offense, the best way to deter impaired driving is through a highly visible effort by the entire criminal justice system - enforcement, prosecution, adjudication and sanctions - to reinforce the belief that violators are criminals and that impaired drivers are at high risk of being caught, prosecuted and punished.

Your Year-Round Resource - Saturation Patrol & Sobriety Checkpoint Guide
The Saturation Patrols and Sobriety Checkpoints Guide is intended for use year-round and provides information on:

• How to Plan Checkpoints and Saturation Patrols
• Building Partnership
• Conducting Publicity and Promotion
• Establishing Operational Timelines
• Evaluation
• Criminal Justice Training
• Available Resources

New Media Outreach Tools Available Online
For each crackdown new media outreach tools are created and available on NHTSA's web site at www.nhtsa.gov to help you get started with your publicity efforts. Tailor the templates to create localized Press Releases, Newsletter Articles, Letters to the Editors, PSAs and Talking Points for use during the crackdown.