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Man Charged with DUI in Colorado After Falling Out of Truck
Vodka bottles found in vehicle of man accused of drunk driving in Colorado.
The Eagle Police Department was contacted by members of the city fire department, warning them of a potential drunk driver. When police arrived on the scene around 9:30 pm they observed the truck pull away from a nearby business, weave through traffic lanes and hit a curb. The truck then slowly crossed the road, jumped another curb, traversed a sidewalk and rolled onto a grassy area before coming to a stop.
When police approached the vehicle the driver was eating a hamburger. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol and when they asked the man to exit his vehicle he fell out of the truck cab and had to be caught. Asked if he had been drinking, the man replied he had a couple of vodkas. The driver could not produce a driver’s license or proof of insurance card. He gave the officers permission to search his vehicle for the latter item and they found three nearly empty liter bottles of vodka.
The driver failed several field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a breath test. He was charged with driving under the influence in Colorado, failure to have insurance, driving with a revoked license, careless driving and for having an open container in his vehicle. He was taken to a local detox center.
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No Colorado DUI Related Deaths Reported Over Holiday
274 arrests were made statewide for drunk driving in CO.
The Colorado State patrol has released a statement indicating that there were no DUI-related fatalities during the Memorial Day weekend. There were four traffic deaths reported across the state though none involved alcohol. It is the first Memorial Day holiday since 2003 where no highway deaths were attributable to drunk driving in Colorado.
While not all jurisdictions have filed reports, law enforcement agencies statewide made a total of 274 arrests for driving under the influence in Colorado over the extended weekend. That included CO DUI 230 arrests being made by State Patrol troopers.
8,583 traffic citations were issued by State troopers over the holiday weekend, including 2,251 for seatbelt violations. 61 felony arrests were made and 103 were charged with drug related offenses.
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Almost 600 Charged with Colorado DUI Over Holiday
Statewide crackdown on drunk driving in CO part of summer long campaign.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, nearly 600 motorists were charged with drunk driving in the state over the Fourth of July holiday. During the three and a half day extended weekend, law enforcement agencies made 593 arrests for driving under the influence in Colorado.
The State Patrol made 129 CO DUI arrests. The City of Denver police department made 73 arrests; Colorado Springs police, 54; Aurora police, 36; Larimer County Sheriff’s department, 21 and Boulder police, 19.
The State Patrol, county sheriff’s departments and local law enforcement agencies are participating in a campaign targeting drunk driving in Colorado called ‘100 Days of Heat’. The effort calls for high police visibility, DUI saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints through Labor Day.
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Colorado Wrestles with Repeat DUI Offenders
Study shows 1 in 3 offenders had prior CO drunk driving arrest.
According to a study done by the Denver Post newspaper, one in three drivers arrested for driving under the influence in Colorado are repeat offenders. Between 2005 and 2007, law enforcement records show an average of 31,011 arrests for Colorado DUI. According to data from probation department evaluations, an average 10,835 had at least one prior arrest for drunk driving.
Colorado is one of four states where multiple DUI convictions do not necessarily result in a felony. Of the repeat offenders, 84 had at least 10 prior arrests and 5 had more than 20.
In recent years Colorado legislators have lowered the threshold for intoxication from .10% to .08%. Laws have been passed making it more difficult to plea bargain DUI cases and increasing the penalties for driving under the influence and driving while ability impaired. Citing a tight state budget, lawmakers have not passed a felony DUI law. In addition, the state grapples with prison overcrowding, full court dockets and an over-worked probation system.
A Colorado DUI task force is looking into measures to diminish drunk driving, especially repeat offenses.
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Colorado DUI Arrests by Larimer County Sheriff's Department Top 1000
Mapping has led to more effective CO drunk driving patrols.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Department has reported that during 2008 it made 1,034 arrests for suspicion of driving under the influence in Colorado. That is the third time in six years that the number of DUI arrests has topped 1000.
The total is almost double the number of arrests made by other law enforcement agencies for drunk driving in Larimer County. The Fort Collins Police Department registered 573 DUI arrests in 2008 and the Colorado State Patrol added 414 more.
During each of the past four reporting periods, the County Sheriff’s Department has netted the most arrests for Colorado DUI. The most arrests it made in one year was 1,315 during 2003.
A department spokesperson said the sheriff encourages deputies to undertake aggressive DUI enforcement. He said for an effective DUI crackdown, you must have "highly trained and highly motivated enforcement." The Sheriff's Department also relies on map plotting data to identify hot spots in DUI arrests and alcohol related traffic accidents. The maps help the department target areas that need additional patrols.
If you were arrested for DUI in Larimer County, CO, you need to hire a CO DUI lawyer.
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Volunteer 'Designated Drivers' Try to Reduce DUI in Colorado
Colorado Springs group drives customers and their cars home for free.
Driving under the influence in Colorado leads to over 30,000 arrests each year in Colorado. When a men's health magazine ranked Colorado Springs as the third drunkest city in the country, a local group of volunteers decided to create a 'Designated Driver' program.
If someone feels they have had too much to drink, they can call the service and volunteers will get the customer and the customer's vehicle home safely. A spokesperson for 'Designated Driver' said while taxis offer a great service and help reduce Colorado DUI incidents, many who need a ride home after drinking are concerned about getting their vehicles home too. Customers of 'Designated Driver' frequently express their appreciation for the extra service.
Started in Pueblo, Colorado and then expanded into Colorado Springs, 'Designated Driver' relies on donations and sponsorships from local businesses to maintain operations.
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Record Number of Colorado DUI Arrests
New Year’s Holiday yields 569 arrests for drunk driving in Colorado.
During the New Year’s festivities, law enforcement agencies across the state made a total of 569 arrests for suspicion of driving under the influence in Colorado. That figure is the highest recorded since the inception of a state Department of Transportation DUI initiative in 1998.
The Colorado State Patrol joined with 52 county and local police departments in setting up DUI saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The campaign ran from 6 pm December 30 to 6:00 pm January 5. Last year the number of CO DUI arrests totaled 473, and in 2006 the figure was 449. The most arrests were made by CSP with a total of 141. Denver police netted 87 arrests and Colorado Springs police had 40.
The Colorado Department of Transportation provided $941,377 in grants last year to law enforcement agencies to fund additional DUI patrols. In addition, more than 3000 taxi vouchers were distributed by bars, hotels and restaurants over the New Year’s holiday to reduce drunk drivers on the street.
Some of the recent batch of DUI defendants will be subject to new Colorado DUI laws that went into effect January 1. In addition to stiffer penalties and fines of up to $10,000, the offenders could lose their driver’s licenses for up to nine months. There is a provision for the return of a license in thirty days if the defendant agrees to install an ignition interlock device that tests for the presence of alcohol before allowing the driver to start the vehicle.
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Confusion Over Colorado DUI Crackdown
Road signs warned of drunk driving patrols when there were none.
Colorado State law enforcement agencies declared a crackdown of drunk driving over the Halloween weekend. Highway message boards flashed warnings of the anti-DUI campaign. It seems that some law enforcement agencies however, most notably the Colorado Springs Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol, could not provide information on the operation or the sign board messages.
Some agencies, like the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, engaged in extra patrols for motorists suspected of drunk driving in Colorado on Friday, but did not continue the effort through the weekend. The announced crackdown was supposed to end at 3:00 am Monday morning and include the Colorado Springs area police departments of Colorado Springs, Canon City, Fort Carson, Woodland Park and Fountain and the sheriff’s departments from Pueblo, El Paso and Fremont counties. The sign boards were deactivated Sunday afternoon.
A spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation said it is possible for just special Colorado DUI patrol units to know of a crackdown and not the entire police department. He called the signs a deterrent, saying that signs will be on when there are extra patrols somewhere. Even if not a planned, coordinated effort, there could be regular police patrols in the area.
If you have been arrested for drunk driving in El Paso County you need to contact a DUI lawyer in Colorado Springs for help on your DUI charge.
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Maps to Help Police Fight Colorado DUI's
Technology plots locations of accidents involving drunk driving in CO.
Over the last year the Colorado State Patrol has been implementing a new data plotting technology that helps them identify hot-spots of DUI related accidents. The information is used to help them to better target their drunk driving patrols.
The CSP troop in Fort Collins is the first to use the technology which utilizes color coded pins to indicate the locations and types of accidents over a set period of time. In addition to patrolling major highways, the focus has included roads near liquor stores and recreation areas. While the troop has changed its patrol schedules and targets, a spokesperson said that it is the first year of the system's use so its effectiveness is not yet known.
The mapping technology is being shared with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, which says the collaboration has helped them better enforce the law and arrest motorists suspected of drunk driving in Colorado.
If you have been arrested for you will need to hire a Colorado DUI lawyer to represent you on your drunk driving charge.
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Colorado DUI Taskforce Starts Art Contest
Western Colorado law enforcement group is looking for logo with anti-drunk driving theme.
The Gore Range DUI Taskforce in western Colorado has started an art competition to create a logo that can be used on the vehicles used by the special squad. According to the Avon Police Chief, the goal is to strike fear in motorists who are driving under the influence in Colorado. The design must also relate to the Vail Valley.
The competition is open to any Eagle County student, and they must submit their design and anti-DUI slogan to the Avon Police Department before November 1. The winners will get to chose between a pair of skis and a snowboard as prizes.
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