GARLAND, Texas — Many police departments and sheriff's offices increased their presence during the holiday season, specifically trying to keep dangerous and impaired drivers off the road.
The Garland Police Department announced Tuesday the number of Driving While Intoxication (DWI) arrests its officers made during the holiday season.
From Dec. 17 through Jan. 1, Garland police officers arrested 31 people for DWI. The department refers to these two weeks as the "increased Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) enforcement period."
Garland police increased its DWI patrols during the Christmas and New Year holidays in an effort to keep the roadways a little safer.
In addition to the arrests, officers handed out 18 citations.
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During that same time period, the Collin County Sheriff's Office increased its patrol as well as officers arrested three people and handed out 52 citations. One person was arrested for DWI-related offenses and two for marijuana as well as warrant-related reasons.
The additional enforcement for both departments was paid for by a state-funded grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), known as the Impaired Driving Mobilization grant.
On New Year's Eve, the Dallas Police Department teamed up with the Department of Public Safety to conduct a "road rage initiative" throughout Dallas.
The point of this initiative was to find and stop people driving aggressively and under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, according to Dallas Police.
Officers focused on areas along US-75, Interstate 45, Interstate 20, Interstate 635 and the Dallas North Tollway.
Dallas officers issued 139 citations and arrested four for speeding as well as two for DWI. Officers handed out 32 warnings, too.
