ALTON, Texas (ValleyCentral) — New Year’s celebrations will soon begin across the Rio Grande Valley.
Before the clock strikes midnight, many police agencies are teaming up with Texas DPS Troopers in patrolling area streets, looking for drunk or impaired drivers.
According to TxDOT, last year Texas saw more than 48,000 crashes during the holiday season and this resulted in 433 fatalities and over a thousand serious injuries.
Alton police say for 2022, they have made record breaking DWI arrests.
“This year has been the most, we’ve had up to date 190 DWI arrests this year, our prior year which was 3 years ago which was our highest which was 154 so we have surpassed that,” Sgt. Ruben Lozano with the Alton Police Department said.
Lozano says this is the busiest time of the year for officers and authorities will be on the roads during new year celebrations.
Officers will be looking for drivers who are swearing, heading towards oncoming traffic, speeding, and much more.
“The ones that are heavily, heavily intoxicated, we’ll see, they forget to turn on their headlights, defective equipment whatever the case is but usually those are the ones that stand out the most especially on impaired drivers,” Lozano said.
The department has applied for grants with TxDOT so that way more officers can work different shifts while teaming up with State troopers.
“We are going to be getting a lot of calls for service on regular patrol, loud music, shots being heard, you know celebratory gunfire,” Lozano said.
Lozano says people should have a fun time with loved ones for the holiday season, but to do so in a smart way.
“You know pay that $20, $30, or however much it cost you to Uber or Lyft from where you’re at back home spend that little pocket change and do not get involved in the court system and do not get yourself arrested or even worse hurt or killed,” Lozano said.
