Ok. County Sheriff seeing positive trend in DUI arrests
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) -- For days, law enforcement agencies have been warning residents about being out in full force, working to keep drunk and impaired drivers off the streets after ringing in the new year.
New Year's Eve is a night dedicated to celebration. For some, that means an occasion fueled by alcohol or even medical marijuana, to ring in the new year.
"As soon as we pull them over, they roll down the window and this plume of smoke comes out like a Cheech and Chong movie," said Deputy Aaron Brilbeck, with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. "If my doctor prescribes morphine to me, I can't drive under the influence of morphine. Very same with medical marijuana."
That's why law enforcement across the state was out in full force to keep the roads safe.
"One DUI arrest is one too many," said Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, of Oklahoma County. "One catastrophic incident from a DUI crash affects families on all sides."
Sheriff Johnson said his team saturated the area to devote more resources than a typical day.
"We always have reserve deputies, as well as full time deputies, that come together," said Sheriff Johnson.
Wednesday morning, some surprising results were in. Oklahoma County Deputies report arresting three people for DUI.
"When you see that, you're like, 'Wow. Like, that's that's something to be proud of,'" said Sheriff Johnson.
News 4 check around with other police departments.
In Edmond, officers said they arrested four drunk drivers.
Moore police only arrested two people on DUI.
One county over, in Pottawatomie County, the sheriff said they teamed up with McLoud and tribal police departments. While there were several stops, there were zero DUI arrests.
The Oklahoma Highway patrol posted pictures of traffic stops on Facebook. However, so far they don't have their numbers available.
For now, Sheriff Johnson is calling this New Years Eve a win.
"We're trending in the right direction," said the sheriff.
News 4 reached out to several police departments. However, they don't have their numbers, because people are off for the holidays.