DWI arrests up 75% in 2019

Acevedo pushes for safety on July 4 amid citywide crackdown

Arrests of drunken drivers surged nearly 75 percent in the first six months of 2019, pushed by a citywide crackdown by local law enforcement, police Chief Art Acevedo announced Monday.

Acevedo said the Houston Police Department made 3,862 DWI arrests in the first six months, up 1,644 from the 2,218 arrests in 2018. He released the numbers while warning Houstonians not to drink and drive during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Sean Teare, vehicular crimes unit chief for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said the arrests have gone up because of the work of local law enforcement agencies.

“This is not indicative of more drunks on the road,” he said. “This is ‘we’re working smarter.’ ”

Since taking over as chief in 2016, Acevedo said one of his main goals has been to prevent DWIs and get drunken drivers off the roads.

“This has not been by happenstance,” he said of the increase in arrests. “We have increased the training of our people, in terms of the training that we receive, that we provide to the men and women of the Houston Police Department. … Every Houston police officer is receiving additional training on DWI.”

The Houston region is notorious for fatal drunken-driving incidents. Analyzing data from 2001 to 2016, a Houston Chronicle investigation found that the nine-county Houston region had more fatal drunken driving crashes than any

of the other large metropolitan areas in the United States.

The police department works with other law enforcement agencies in the area to combat drunken driving, Acevedo said.

The Harris County Sheriff ’s Office and the Harris County constables’ offices together made 2,062 DWI arrests from Jan. 1 through June 30, said Jason Spencer, director of public affairs for the sheriff ’s office.

‘Seeing the result’

Acevedo said the police department has also worked with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to try to speed up processing efforts for DWIs.

Thanks to a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, the district attorney’s office has been able to participate in “No Refusal” weekends aimed at catching more drunken drivers, Teare said.

Typically, if a suspected drunken driver refuses to take a breathalyzer or blood test after being stopped by a police officer, the officer must get a warrant to conduct blood testing. During the “No Refusal” weekends, the district attorney’s office has two prosecutors dedicated to writing blood search warrants and accepting DWI charges countywide, Teare said.

Additionally, the Harris County/City of Houston Joint Processing Center has been used to help speed up the processing of DWI suspects.

“No one could do it alone,” Teare said. “By all of us having a good working relationship, I think you’re seeing the result.”

‘Please make a good choice’

To prevent drunken driving and raise awareness, the police department has paired with local organizations, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Jeanette Einkauf, a volunteer with MADD, knows firsthand the effects of drunken driving. On Sept. 28, 1980, her sister-in-law and sister-in-law’s husband were killed by a drunken driver in Harris County.

“That’s many years ago, but that seat at that table is still empty and lives are still devastated from it,” she said.

Einkauf urged people to make transportation plans when they plan to drink outside of their homes.

“It’s a selfish choice to drink and get behind the wheel of a car,” she said. “There’s always an alternative to getting behind the wheel, and when you have families’ lives that are shattered because people make that decision to drink and drive, then we all lose out.”

The financial cost of getting arrested for a DWI in Texas is roughly $17,438, Acevedo said — and that number doesn’t include the cost of paying for damages caused by a car crash.

As the Fourth of July draws closer, Acevedo said, he hopes Houstonians won’t give law enforcement more business during the holiday weekend.

“We don’t want to have to arrest you; we don’t want to have our (Houston Fire Department) brothers and sisters have to come and help save you when you’re in a crash; and we most certainly don’t want you to end up in the morgue,” he said.

“So we’re asking Houstonians to please make a good choice,” he said, “because the consequences are too great.”

One option for riders this weekend is to take Yellow Cab, a taxi service that has partnered with HPD to spread awareness about DWIs.

“There’s really no excuse for drinking and driving,” Acevedo said.