'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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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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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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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 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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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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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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One impound lot covers nine acres, with officers seizing about 2,200 vehicles in 2007. In looking at the assortment, one finds expensive trucks to downright clunkers. Albuquerque's deputy city attorney revealed that hard-core alcoholics actually purchase second 'junk' cars as their drinking vehicles. Many NM driving while intoxicated defendants have said "that's my drunk car."

Police periodically conduct auctions of the seized vehicles. More than 3000 DWI seizure vehicles have been sold since the program was initiated seven years ago. Despite costing half a million dollars to run the seizure program, last year there was a profit from towing, auction and storage fees. That money went into a pool for New Mexico drunk driving programs, including education, training and equipment purchases.

The goal is to have an element of surprise; making driver’s think twice about drinking and driving in Albuquerque.

On a recent Thursday night, police made 20 arrests for suspicion of DWI. One motorist actually abandoned his vehicle at the roadblock and fled on foot.

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The state’s lawyers argued that reasonable suspicion did not apply, as police were instructed to stop vehicles trying to avoid the checkpoint. However that directive did not follow checkpoint guidelines established in a 1987 legal ruling.

Anaya pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in New Mexico in early 2006, though she and her DWI defense attorney reserved the right to appeal on the case on the grounds that the initial traffic stop was illegal.

The attorney’s general’s office has indicated that the appellate court ruling is under review, and that an appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court may be made.

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The new technology will initially be used by law enforcement as an indicator that a more thorough drunk driving investigation needs to be undertaken. Deputies will still use field sobriety tests and breath tests to determine intoxication.

In fact, the ‘TruTouch’ system has to be accepted by judges and the court system before its results can be entered into evidence during a New Mexico DWI case.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department understands the need for proving the equipment’s validity, saying it must meet all scientific tests for determining blood alcohol content.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving in Bernalillo County, New Mexico you will need to hire an Albuquerque DWI lawyer.

In response, Governor Bill Richardson's administration is advocating for a new law that will require all those moving to the state to get a New Mexico driver's license within 30 days. Penalties will be devised to punish new residents who do not obtain a license within that time frame.

The new program would allow law enforcement to seize a vehicle operated by a person who has been arrested for two or more New Mexico DWI offenses or is caught driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Previously the vehicle could be seized after a third DWI arrest.

The original seizure initiative, similar to ones being used in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, was difficult to administer due to the much larger area of Doña Ana County. The logistics and costs of towing and storing vehicles were prohibitive. Citing a $100,000 deficit in running the program, county officials stopped seizing vehicles. Under the new ordinance, seized vehicles can be sold at auction and the revenue would be placed in a general fund to offset the costs of the program.

Both the new and old measures give DWI offenders the option of having their vehicle booted or temporarily impounded, instead of permanent seizure.

The revised vehicle seizure ordinance will be submitted to the County Board of Commissioners this week. Doña Ana officials say this is another tool in the fight against New Mexico DWI and feel it will decrease drunk driving in the county.

Rachael O'Conner, DWI Czar for Governor Bill Richardson, and state Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught also announced a two-week long anti-drunk driving campaign surrounding the Labor Day holiday. The New Mexico DWI Super Blitz is a combined effort by state law enforcement groups and the National Highway Traffics Safety Administration.