Frequency of Operations / Duration of Program

The Austin Police Department’s DWI Enforcement Unit has conducted patrols dedicated to DWI enforcement as routine, standard operating procedure since the unit was formed in September of 1998. Normal duty hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., with schedules modified during holiday weekends and special events to increase the level of enforcement effort in response to predicted increases in impaired driving, based on historical patterns of behavior. Impact Initiatives are conducted from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. hours.

Participation

The DWI patrols are conducted by officers of the Austin Police Department’s DWI Enforcement Unit, which presently consists of nine officers, one corporal, and one sergeant. All personnel assigned to the unit have received formal training in on-the-road DWI detection and SFST administration and scoring. Also, all members of this special unit are required to attend annual SFST Update classes, a further indication of the APD’s commitment to reducing the incidence of alcohol-involved crashes by ensuring uniformly high skills and abilities, and fostering professionalism, motivation, and pride among the department’s DWI enforcement specialists. Every officer is a certified Intoxilyzer operator, seven are certified drug recognition experts (DREs), and four are NHTSA-certified SFST Instructors.

Public Awareness / Program Visibility

The Austin Police Department’s DWI Unit recently acquired a late-model special transit service bus from the local transit district and converted it to serve as a command vehicle, using funds also provided by the transit district. The bus is equipped with an Intoxilyzer 5000, a report writing area, and video taping capabilities. The command vehicle is used during all high visibility impaired-driving enforcement

operations, in­cluding the weekly impact Initiatives, holiday mobilizations, and special events.
The vehicle increases public awareness of the spe­cial enforcement activi­ties, facilitates the processing of DWI arrests, and reduces DWI processing time for arresting officers.

Beginning in 2001, the APD has conducted “Operation Summer Heat” in addition to the routinely deployed DWI patrols. This special enforcement program runs from June through August and triples the number of officers on the street who are enforcing impaired and aggressive driving laws. Redirecting officers from their normal assignments to traffic enforcement duty provides further evidence of the department’s commitment to DWI enforcement.

The Austin Police Department received a commen­dation from MADD for the agency’s performance during the annual “Operation Summer Heat.”

The Austin Police Department has not yet developed a publicity campaign to support the special DWI enforcement program, nor has the DWI Unit established community partnerships to help elevate public awareness. However, the department has obtained substantial coverage of its periodic press conferences con­cerning the DWI Unit’s spe­cial enforcement activities and in response to high profile arrests.

Funding

The DWI Enforcement Unit is funded as a normal Austin Police Department budget item, augmented by grants, when possible.

Lessons Learned

The principal lessons derived from the experiences of the Austin Police Depart­ment are presented in three categories. The first concerns some of the obstacles that were encountered and the actions taken in response, followed by a discussion of the features that are believed to contribute to the success of the APD’s efforts. Specific sug­gestions from the officers who created the Austin Police Department’s DWI Unit are presented third.