All nine city, county, and Washington State Patrol law enforcement agencies within the county participated in the DUI patrols from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1 in an effort to prevent serious injuries and fatalities. There were 17 traffic-related fatalities in Thurston County this year, down from 23 in 2010.
“We are happy to see this decrease, but our DUI arrests show that people still drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Lt. Chris Mealy, law enforcement liaison for Target Zero Thurston Task Force.
The patrols were sponsored by Target Zero Thurston and funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. These efforts are taking place statewide.