McMinnville Police Department will be conducting a DUI saturation patrol on Halloween weekend.
“This is the first year for a saturation patrol on Halloween weekend but when you think about it, it makes sense that we should,” said McMinnville Police Lt. Mark Mara. “We know people are having Halloween parties, so we want them to know we will be out. We aren’t trying to discourage people from having a good time. Just don’t drive intoxicated.”
Saturation patrols are designed to make highways safer and to increase public awareness of the hazards of drinking and driving. By removing intoxicated drivers from the roadways, the potential for motor vehicle accidents is decreased, officers say.
Dairy Queen of McMinnville is participating in the patrols by providing ice cream coupons to give away to children who are properly restrained.
Officers will be actively pursuing impaired drivers by patrolling the streets and conducting traffic stops. Highly motivated and trained officers comprise the team. All of the officers have basic standardized field sobriety testing. Some of the officers have advanced standardized field sobriety testing. One officer on standby is a drug recognition expert.
Residents can help make the streets safer by reporting vehicles being operated in an unsafe manner to 668-7000 or 911. Please help the dispatcher by giving the street name and a detailed description of the vehicle. It would be helpful to provide the make, model, and color of the vehicle, along with the license plate number.