Don’t drink and drive — it’s dangerous, expensive and deadly. Thanks to new grant money, both the Corpus Christi and Port Aransas police departments are increasing their DUI patrols throughout the next year.
Expect to see more patrol officers on the road this holiday season. Both the Corpus Christi and Port Aransas police departments have the funds to be more vigilant about drunk driving. New funds for the cities’ drunk driver programs make more officers possible on the road during the holidays and throughout the new year.
The Texas Department of Transportation recently awarded “Impaired Driving Mobilization” grants to the CCPD and PAPD. The grant pays for overtime for officers during weekends and holidays, when alcohol related crashes are most frequent.
TxDOT granted the Corpus Christi Police Department $7,837.02. The city council awarded an additional $3,327.89, bringing the total project amount to $11,164.91.
The Port Aransas Police Department was granted $13,323.20. An additional $3,330.36 from the city, gives them a total of $16,653.56.
The yearly total arrests for intoxicated driving in Corpus Christi has been on a steady increase over the past decade. In 2005, 859 arrests were made; in 2015, the arrests nearly doubled at 1,331.
While Port Aransas has fewer DUI related arrests than Corpus Christi — a total of 88 in 2015 — construction on Texas 361 has been a cause for concern.
“It’s a two-fold operation that we’re working in conjunction with TxDOT,” said Scott Burroughs, PAPD chief. "There’s a lot of construction going on on Texas 361, which is a TxDOT project. They’ve created a no-passing zone. We’ve gotten complaints about people passing and speeding in the construction zone.
“The other aspect is the DUI enforcement and speed enforcement on the beach during the summer, particularly on the weekends,” he said.
The police department hopes that by releasing news of their increased presence on the roads, less people will choose to go out on the road while intoxicated.
“It’s a safety effort,” Burroughs explained. “Drunk driving is an issue year-round, and construction zones always enhance the possibility of injury.”
