Seven area law enforcement agencies are teaming to create a Metro DUI Task Force to combat drivers who drive drunk or on drugs.
The task force will be introduced today in Denver on the west steps of the Capitol.
“Working together through an established multi-agency agreement, police officers, deputy sheriffs and Colorado State Troopers will patrol member communities as a cohesive unit, looking for intoxicated motorists,” Sonny Jackson, a Denver Police Department spokesman, said in a statement.
Agencies taking part are the Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson County sheriff’s offices; Colorado State Patrol; and the Denver, Northglenn and Wheat Ridge police departments.
“We certainly support high visibility enforcement as part of our campaign to eliminate drunk driving,” said Emily Tompkins, Colorado executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Since May, the Heat Is On! campaign against drunken driving has resulted in at least 69 arrests, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The Loveland Police Department has made 16 arrests as part of the Heat Is On! program and Aurora police have made 14 arrests through July 17, according to CDOT.
Of 11,812 statewide Heat Is On! stops this year, 69 DUI arrests were made.
Tompkins, citing research by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said high-visibility programs, such as the new task force and Heat Is On!, are effective tools in reducing alcohol-related crashes and deaths.
