DUI
NM DWI News
New Mexico Schedules Spring DWI Campaign
Crackdown on NM DWI is part of Spring Superblitz.
Gov. Bill Richardson announced a spring crackdown on motorists who are driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. The Spring Superblitz will be conducted over the next 17 days. Law enforcement agencies will increase efforts to arrest suspected drunk drivers through sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. The campaign will run through the end of March.
A new state-wide anti-DWI ad campaign was also unveiled, titled 'Women Drive Drunk, Too'. The campaign hopes to educate the public to the dangers of driving while intoxicated in New Mexico, and to the fact that the number of female NM DWI offenders is increasing. The State DWI czar says that almost a quarter of all drunk driving arrests in New Mexico involve female drivers. They also reportedly account for 20% of the alcohol related traffic fatalities. The 'Women Drive Drunk, Too' message will be spread through use of billboards, radio spots and television commercials.
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Director of State District Attorneys Charged with NM DWI
Top staffer arrested for drunk driving near Bernalillo.
The director of the state’s district attorneys association was arrested for driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. Randy Saavedra was stopped last Saturday at a sobriety checkpoint in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque. He reportedly had bloodshot and watery eyes, had a strong odor of alcohol and slurred his speech. The arrest complaint also cites ‘several signs of impairment’. A blood alcohol content reading was not included. Saavedra denies being intoxicated and vows to fight the charges.
Saavedra was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in New Mexico in 2001 but the charges were dropped by the district attorney in Bernalillo County. That arrest was before he was named head of the state-funded DAs office. He was appointed to the position by a board made up of state district attorneys. Saavedra has amassed 36 traffic citations over the last 20 years, yet has never paid a fine or received a jail sentence. He is the son of the state representative from Albuquerque, ‘Kiki’ Saavedra.
Saavedra admitted that he had been drinking champagne prior to the arrest, but said his BAC was under the legal limit for intoxication.
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Governor Seeks Additional New Mexico DWI Laws
Bill Richardson seeks stronger laws for drugged driving.
During his six-years in office, Gov. Bill Richardson has worked to strengthen New Mexico drunk driving laws, as well as increase law enforcement efforts and raise the public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Now Richardson has taken aim at reducing driving under the influence of illegal drugs in New Mexico. He has proposed legislation that would call for a motorist to submit to a drug test if they fail a field sobriety test.
Richardson cited statistics claiming that 97 percent of those arrested for impairment and given a blood test show positive signs of illegal drugs. While New Mexico DWI laws already cover the prohibition of driving under the influence of illegal drugs, establishing degree of impairment for prosecution can be difficult. Checking for blood alcohol content in suspected NM DWI cases can be done relatively easy and quickly, but testing for illegal drugs requires a blood sample and time for processing.
A spokesperson with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said that when motorists are issued driver’s licenses they give their ‘implied consent’ to submit to breath tests to check for driving while intoxicated. The same position is taken when it comes to requiring drivers suspected of drug impairment to submit to a blood test.
Forced blood draws have raised privacy issues, and currently there are no guidelines in place to quantify how much of any particular drug warrants an arrest for impairment. Legal limits for drug presence will have to be established, along with applicable time lines for testing, before someone can be prosecuted for impairment beyond a reasonable doubt. The DPS acknowledged that the task is profoundly challenging.
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New Mexico Governor Announces DWI Campaign
Bill Richardson promises significant drunk driving patrols.
Gov. Bill Richardson unveiled the state’s latest effort to combat New Mexico DWI. Dubbed 'The Storm', the campaign will utilize intense law enforcement patrols; an idea reinforced by ads featuring a 'storm' of police that descend upon drunk drivers. The spots are considering a warning to all those who consider drinking and driving.
'The Storm' will be in effect through the upcoming holidays, ending January 4. Radio and television ads will be broadcast in English and Spanish, and billboards will be placed on state highways.
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New Mexico DWI Superblitz Underway
Crackdown on drunk driving in New Mexico will last into early 2009.
New Mexico started its annual Superblitz aimed at cracking down on motorists who are driving drunk. This year the campaign has been extended through the New Year celebration.
Law enforcement agencies across the state will be conducting random sobriety checkpoints and enhanced drunk driving patrols on Thanksgiving weekend and then every weekend in December and the first weekend in January. According to New Mexico DWI czar Rachel O’Connor, the state typically only conducts two short Superblitzes.
The winter Superblitz looking for motorists who are suspected of driving while intoxicated in New Mexico will end January 4, 2009.
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Favoritism Shown in New Mexico DWI Trials
Cases of drunk driving in NM are being dismissed because of ethnicity.
Recently law enforcement agencies representing the state of New Mexico, McKinley County and the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation agreed to allow each other the right to cross tribal land borders in both directions in pursuit of drunk drivers. Until the agreement, motorists suspected of driving while intoxicated would flee to the reservation because they knew state authorities had no jurisdiction.
There are now reports that New Mexico DWI cases appearing in front of one Navajo Nation judge are being dismissed when the arrest was conducted by a non-Native American. Specifically he challenges the concept of non-Native American law enforcement officers arresting Native Americans on tribal land.
The McKinley County District Attorney could not confirm or deny the allegations.
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New Mexico Receives Grant to Combat DWI
$1.15 million grant will be used by police departments to patrol for drunk driving in NM.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has provided New Mexico with $1.15 million in grant money to fight driving while intoxicated. The funds will be shared by law enforcement agencies across the state and must be used to implement or conduct programs focusing on stopping drunk driving in New Mexico.
The money will offset the cost of officers engaged in additional patrols, special party patrols and sobriety checkpoints. The grant is part of the DOT’s Alcohol Traffic Safety and Drunk Driving Prevention program.
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Governor Films New Mexico DWI Ad
Anti-drunk driving commercial to air during Olympic games.
Governor Bill Richardson was featured in a commercial highlighting the fight against driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. Filmed at a mock sobriety checkpoint, the governor talks about DWI and praises the citizens of the state for their efforts to reduce drinking and driving offenses.
Governor Richardson hopes the anti-DWI message reaches a large audience during the Olympics. He said, “Everybody watches the Olympics and we want everybody to watch this.” The ads are scheduled to air on August 8, the first day of the Olympic games.
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Police Officer Arrested for New Mexico DWI in Las Cruces
Officer charged with drunk driving and firearm offense.
An Albuquerque police officer was charged with driving while intoxicated in Las Cruces, New Mexico last weekend. U.S. Border Patrol agents found a Toyota truck parked on the sidewalk around 3:30 am and went to check on the driver.
After Las Cruces police officers arrived on the scene, the driver, David Hill, Jr., reportedly exited the truck very slowly. A breath test revealed his blood alcohol content was double that of the legal limit for intoxication in New Mexico. Hill was booked for drunk driving in New Mexico at the Dona Ana County Detention Center. He was also charged with negligent use of a firearm. Hill had a loaded Glock handgun on him at the time of the arrest, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated is illegal in the state.
Hill is a three year veteran with the Albuquerque Police Department. He was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
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Senator’s Daughter Charged with New Mexico DWI
Daughter of anti-DWI advocate charged with drunk driving in Albuquerque.
The 21-year old daughter of state Senator Kent Craven was arrested for driving while intoxicated in New Mexico. She wrecked her vehicle in southwest Albuquerque Sunday while driving drunk. Police reports indicate that Kady Craven’s blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit.
Kent Craven is one of the more outspoken advocates for tough anti-DWI laws in New Mexico. In a prepared statement, he said his daughter is entering rehab.
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