The Warwick Police Department had 61 total contacts and 8 total arrests during its Thanksgiving 2020 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Enforcement Campaign.

On Friday, November 27, the Warwick Police Department deployed six teams of two officers to specifically detect and arrest impaired drivers. The officers made 8 arrests, 4 DUI arrests, 5 total SFSTs were performed (1 passed), 61 total contacts, 34 citations, 14 speeding citations, 18 other citations, and 34 total warnings.

The Warwick Police department is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to remind everyone of the dangers of drinking and driving. Increased messages about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with law enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on the city’s roadways.

As of November 27, there have been 70 motor vehicle fatalities in Rhode Island, with many of them involving alcohol. The rate of alcohol related fatal crashes is more than three times higher at night and on weekends, according to the Warwick Police Department press release.

On Friday, Nov. 27 during the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. the RIDOT’s Office on Highway Safety along with the Providence Police Department assisted the Warwick Police Department and neighboring agencies, by providing the Breath Alcohol Testing (B.A.T.) Mobile. The B.A.T. mobile is a 40-foot-long modified coach, equipped with two stainless steel jail cells, two devices for measuring alcohol levels, computer work stations, an inkless fingerprint machine, and surveillance cameras. The B.A.T. mobile serves as a police station on wheels and was parked in an area of high visibility at the parking lot of the Warwick Mall.

This campaign runs through the beginning of the New Year. The effort is funded by RIDOT’s Office on Highway Safety, with grant money from NHTSA.

The Warwick Police Department recommends that safe alternatives to drinking and driving be used. Those alternatives include designating a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or ride service to get home safely. They also recommend that if you see a drunk driver on the road, to contact the Warwick Police Department at 401-468-4200. Also, if a friend is about to drink and drive, take their keys away and make arrangements for them to get home safely.