Newport County Police Departments, including Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Jamestown, Tiverton, Little Compton and the Rhode Island State Police, in cooperation with the Rhode Island Office on Highway Safety and the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, teamed up in a coordinated effort to combat drunk driving over the Labor Day weekend.
Officers partnered together to conduct proactive motor vehicle enforcement throughout the weekend in an effort to prevent alcohol and drug related crashes. In addition, this DUI initiative utilized the Providence Police Department’s Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) Mobile Unit. The B.A.T. Mobile allows a centralized location to process all DUI arrests including the administering of breathalyzer tests. Departments also had trained Drug Recognition Experts on hand to further evaluate drivers who may be under the influence of something other than alcohol.
As a result of this collaborative effort, Newport County police departments conducted 279 motor vehicle stops, made a total of 16 Arrests for Driving Under the Influence, issued 39 traffic citations and 240 warnings over the extended Labor Day weekend.
This Labor Day weekend DUI campaign resulted in no motor vehicle accidents with injuries as a result of an intoxicated driver and no traffic fatalities in Newport County. All Police Departments will continue to be proactive in our efforts to reduce accidents within the State of Rhode Island and our respective communities.
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