Smith County DWI Enforcement
Posted/updated on: May 25, 2011 at 3:19 pm
TYLER — Smith County law enforcement agencies will be out in force during the Memorial Day holiday, this Friday through Sunday — and they wont be taking no for an answer. A multi-joint effort between the District Attorneys Office and police agencies from all over the county will participate in the No-Refusal DWI Campaign once again. Upon the arrest of a suspected drunk driver, he or she will be asked 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 drivers blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or higher, the legal limit for driving in Texas.
Authorities say the program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers. According to law officers, 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.
