Sergeant Jamie Smith of the Vienna Police Department is an old hand when it comes to alcohol-related traffic arrests. Last year he made 40 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
"You have to react to whatever situation they're giving you," he said of impaired drivers.
Although most drunk drivers are cooperative, Smith said their conditions range considerably. "They can be pleasant, laughing, giddy to passed out," he said.
SMITH WAS ONE of 54 police officers and state troopers from around Northern Virginia who were recognized for their commitment to preventing drunk driving at a May 31 ceremony organized by the Northern Virginia chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program.
Col. Gerald Massengill, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, told the officers in his keynote address that drunk driving deaths should be considered violent crimes. "We kill more people with DUIs in Virginia in a good year than we do with violent crime." He also cautioned against sending "double messages" to children by encouraging them not to drink and drive and then exposing them to advertisements for beer and alcohol.
But the number of DUI arrests will not matter unless judges convict more drunk drivers, said Teresa McCarthy, a victim advocate with MADD. McCarthy, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver in Indiana, said police departments and court systems must work together to take drunk drivers off the road.
"Someday the court system will learn what you already know," McCarthy told the officers. "Do not let the lack of meaningful sentences deter you."
She also expressed cautious optimism that the courts were getting tougher. "This past year, I have seen more jail terms than in the entire eight years I've been a victim advocate," she said.
WHILE THE NUMBER of drunk driving deaths in Virginia has been decreasing, alcohol-related fatalities in Northern Virginia have climbed in the past three years. In 2001, 53 Northern Virginians died in drunk driving accidents, up from 49 in 2000 and 40 in 1999.
That trend can be explained by demographics, said Fairfax County Police Commander Dan Townsend, of the Mt. Vernon station. "We're so densely populated," he said.
Staffing problems have also made it harder to police the area adequately. "We're probably 1,000 officers short in Fairfax County," he said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Thomas Manger agreed.
"Our available staffing to meet those demands have often not kept pace," he said. "I want to thank everyone who is in a position to make the decisions to allow our men and women to do their jobs."
STARTING JULY 1, county law may be amended to take into account changes made to the state code during the 2002 legislative session. A public hearing on the amendments is scheduled for June 17 at 4:30 p.m.
Among the amendments is a measure that would give the court that convicted a person of drunk driving continuing jurisdiction over that person during any period of license revocation. The court would be able to refer convicted drunk drivers to alcohol safety action programs. Warrants and indictments for DUIs would also be required to say whether a person had previously been convicted of such as offense in the past five or 10 years.
"Any way that we can help drunk drivers off the road, we'll do that," said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kate Hanley (D-At Large).
Hanley, who attended the May 30 ceremony, said she has long been involved in efforts to reduce drunk driving. "I'm always impressed by the dedication and diligence with which our police officers go after drunk drivers, and their concern on finding ways to curb repeat offenders," she said.