No Surprises: This Holiday Weekend, DPD to Make Drunk Drivers Offer They Can't Refuse

By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Dec. 30 2010 at 4:27 PM

Categories: Crime, Happy Holidays

If it's a major holiday likely to involve a drink or two or 12, it's time for ... you guessed it: the Dallas Police Department's No-Refusal DWI Initiative! Let's not waste time recapping the what-the-whats. Release the release!

The No-Refusal Initiative will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, December 31, 2010, and will end at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 2, 2011.

During this initiative any offender arrested for DWI will be given the opportunity to provide either a breath or blood sample. Should an offender refuse to do either, officers will secure a search warrant from a magistrate for a mandatory blood sample and that sample will be taken by trained medical personnel to determine blood-alcohol concentration. The results of the subsequent blood-alcohol analysis can be used against the offender at trial.

The purpose of this initiative is to help keep our streets and highways safe and to hold those who choose to drink and drive criminally accountable for their actions. Everyone planning to celebrate the beginning of the new year is strongly encouraged to do so responsibly. If you choose to drink your Dallas Police Department asks that you find a way home other than driving yourself. To drive while impaired can have tragic consequences for all of us.

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