Pennsylvania State Police Report Record Number of DUI Arrests

May 2010

Pennsylvania State Police have reported that they made a record number of drunk driving arrests last year. This marks their eighth consecutive year of record-breaking DUI arrests.

Officers arrested 16,900 drunk drivers last year, a four percent increase over the 16,156 arrested in 2008. In addition, alcohol-related fatalities dropped to 141, which is a decline of 14 percent. Alcohol-related auto accidents declined by one percent.

Police Commissioner Col. Frank E. Pawlowski said that the expansion of a drug recognition expert program and a program called Operation Nighthawk, which trains officers to spot drunk drivers, contributed to the force’s success. A state police spokesman also said that the increase in arrests likely results from more enforcement of Pennsylvania’s drunk driving laws rather that a rise in drunk driving.