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| Mobile DUII Processing Center to Help Police Agencies During Oktoberfest | ||
| 09/13/2007 | ||
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Lieutenant Mike Peterson Oregon State Police - Salem Office: (503) 378-3387 ext. 210 Photograph link valid for 30 days - Source: Oregon State Police http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Mobile%20lab_exterior2.jpg http://www.flashnews.net/images/news/Mobile%20lab_interior2.jpg Oregon's latest tool to help keep intoxicated drivers off our highways will be making its first official appearance in the Mt. Angel area during Oktoberfest weekend. This will be the second event that the Mobile DUII Processing Center has been deployed to as it will be placed on site to help Oregon State Police, Marion County Sheriff's Office and Mt. Angel police. Oregon State Police (OSP), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and other law enforcement agencies and partners found a creative solution to help facilitate a way to process arrested DUII drivers while getting officers back on the road quicker. The result was made possible through a $171,000 grant from ODOTs Transportation Safety Division to purchase a 2007 36-foot Winnebago Voyage motor home retrofitted with all the equipment necessary to test and process intoxicated drivers. "This should be a huge lift for the interagency traffic safety operations at a major event such as Oktoberfest," said OSP Sergeant Dale Young. "Past experience indicates the possibility of a high number of DUII arrests at this event, so having the MDPC on the ground allows us to keep officers on area roads actively looking for intoxicated drivers." Sergeant Young credited aggressive efforts by Oktoberfest organizers to crack down on alcohol-related problems and stressing ‘Designated Drivers" as extremely helpful. In addition, consistent, strong interagency police presence during the last several years has had an obvious impact on OSP DUII arrests as the numbers have dropped from 26 arrests in 2003 to nine arrests last year. The MDPC equipment includes three Intoxilyzer Model 8000 breath-alcohol testing equipment, three work stations with laptops and printers, and two temporary holding cells. The unit also includes emergency supplies, cell phones and radio communications equipment. ### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
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