Grants Provided for Two Georgia DUI Programs: Nighthawks and ALS

Grant from the Georgia Governor will fund two State Patrol programs that target GA drunk driving: Nighthawks and ALS.

The Georgia State Patrol has received a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to fund two DUI related programs. One is the 'GSP Nighthawks' which focuses on drunk driving identification and enforcement and the other is an ALS initiative that helps officers provide testimony during driver's license suspension hearings. Both Georgia DUI programs were started in 2004, and the new funding assures to their continuation in the coming year.

GSP Nighthawks is a team of officers that has received specialized training in the identification of a suspected drunk driver. Nighthawk patrols focus on DUI enforcement in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton Counties in the Atlanta metro area. The state troopers have arrested 679 motorists for drunk driving in Georgia so far in 2008. Last year the team made a total of 1,054 arrests for drunk driving. The Nighthawks Task Force has been recognized internationally as the best DUI enforcement initiative in North America.

The ALS program prepares troopers for license suspension hearings. Under Georgia DUI law the state may seek to administratively suspend a motorist's driver's license following an arrest for DUI. This is a separate action from the criminal DUI case which is addressed through the court system. The motorist is afforded the opportunity to challenge the suspension by requesting an Administrative License Suspension hearing. The Georgia State Patrol program provides training, legal assistance and even legal representation to officers for the hearing. The program also conducts research and helps with the filing of motions relevant to the license suspension.

Statistics indicate that one third of traffic fatalities in Georgia can be attributed to alcohol impairment. The objective of the GSP Nighthawk and ALS programs is to reduce that figure.

You should never drink and drive. Just because you have been arrested for drunk driving doesn't mean your guilty. If you have been charged with drunk driving in Georgia you will need to hire a DUI lawyer in Georgia that can represent you on your DUI criminal charge and your ALS hearing.