“No Refusal” DWI Initiative Continues

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department is once again stepping up its patrols targeting DWI drivers for the 4th of July Holiday. The department is participating in a state grant during the holiday that will provide funding to the department to enforce DWI laws. The enforcement detail has been on the lookout for intoxicated drivers since 3:00 Thursday afternoon and will stay on the lookout through this Saturday.

The Tyler Police Department joins other Smith County law enforcement agencies in the effort, and they won’t be taking “No” for an answer. A multi-joint effort that includes the Smith County District Attorney’s Office is participating in the “No-Refusal” DWI Campaign once again. Upon the arrest of a suspected drunk driver, he or she will be asked to submit to blow into a breath-test machine or take a blood test. If the driver refuses, officers will obtain an immediate search warrant signed by a judge on call to have blood drawn by a nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. The blood is then analyzed to determine whether the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or higher, the legal limit for driving in Texas.

Police say the program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers. According to a police news release, it is the intent of all law enforcement agencies that this effort will act as a deterrent, persuading people to avoid driving while intoxicated because they know that police officers will be conducting sobriety testing with or without drivers’ consent. Police caution, “Please don’t drink and drive!”