The directors of the two largest law enforcement agencies in Florida have asked Gov. Charlie Crist to go lightly when cutting the budget of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. All state agencies are potentially affected by the Governor

Two Illinois DUI arrests in one day

Thomas Jane was sentenced to one year probation after pleading no contest to driving under the influence in California. The star of

Shari Robertson, a police sergeant, was charged with driving under the influence in Mansfield, Ohio. Robertson was stopped for a traffic infraction during a three-day saturation patrol targeting drunk drivers.

Ohio Highway Patrol officers witnessed Robertson making a wide left turn and striking the curb with her right front tire. When they turned on their police lights in pursuit, Robertson continued driving, crossing the center line and nearly striking an oncoming car. When the officers turned on their siren, Robertson drove off the road and nearly hit a utility pole. According to the arrest report, she was texting when officers approached her vehicle. Her speech was slurred and she was unsteady on her feet, and Robertson admitted to having consumed four or five drinks. She was booked on charges of drunk driving in Ohio and failure to drive in a marked lane.

Robertson, 41, supervises the Mansfield community policing program. While no action has been taken yet against Robertson, the county safety director said he will confer with the police chief about her work status. The Highway Patrol officers seized Robertson

The Supreme Court of New Jersey is scheduled to hear arguments in a case that could establish a new course for DWI prosecutions in the state. The justices will be deciding the set of circumstances that need to be considered before a law enforcement officer stops a motorist based on a tip. Currently such calls are given less weight than anonymous calls from concerned citizens.

At the heart of the situation is a New Jersey DWI case against Paul Amelio. During an argument with his daughter, Amelio left his house, got in his car and drove off. His daughter called the police and told them her father was drunk. The officer followed Amelio until he returned to his driveway, and then charged him with driving while intoxicated in NJ. Amelio pleaded guilty but then appealed.

Amelio

New York Governor David Patterson vetoed a bill that would have extended no-fault insurance benefits to drunk drivers.

State legislation S.8294-A sought to repeal an Alcohol Exclusion under existing law that allows insurance companies to deny coverage of those arrested for driving while intoxicated in NY. The main beneficiary of the proposed bill would have been NY DWI drivers, as the state

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

Man gets NY DWI after tailgating cop car

TV reality star Khloe Kardashian has missed her deadline for completion of a drug and alcohol classes. In response, a Los Angeles judge ordered her to complete the program in the next six weeks.

Kardashian was sentenced to mandatory attendance in an alcohol awareness program after being convicted of driving under the influence in California last July. Kardashian told the court that she did not complete the course because of scheduling conflicts and the closure of the facility during the holidays. The judge has given her until November 17 to attend the missed lessons, and ordered her to spend one day working in the city morgue.

Kardashian, 24, was charged with DUI in LA in 2007. She spent 173 hours in a California jail as part of her sentencing.

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Citing public reaction to drunk driving in Texas and a recent headline grabbing accident, advocates for stronger DWI penalties express hope for the coming state legislative session. The goal is to advance two bills that stalled in previous sessions; making ignition interlock devices mandatory for everyone convicted of driving while intoxicated in Texas and legalizing sobriety checkpoints.

A driving culture coupled with one of the largest state populations has left Texas with the highest number of alcohol related fatalities in the nation. Last month a repeat DWI offender killed a newlywed couple in Dallas, focusing attention on the rising number of incidents of drunk driving among Hispanics.

A representative from the American Beverage Institute, an association that represents restaurants and promotes responsible social drinking, said that the trend in legislation is to go after