DUI Task Force takes to the streets

Law enforcement personnel were on the lookout for impaired drivers last weekend when the North Idaho DUI Task Force took to the streets in Kootenai and Shoshone counties.

Coinciding with the opening weekend of the North Idaho State Fair on Aug. 19-20, the various agencies of the DUI Task Force initiated contact with drivers 267 times, which led to nine DUI arrests, one possession of methamphetamine case, one cocaine trafficking case, one warrant arrest, two open container charges, three marijuana/paraphernalia seizures and one fake ID seizure.

ISP Sgt. Justin Scotch said he was pleased with the results of the operation and was happy to see numerous people drinking responsibly.

“I stopped a handful of designated drivers that were driving their friends that were highly intoxicated, so I'm always happy to see that,” he said. “It means that our message is getting across to people and they’re doing the right thing.”

When it comes to the tactics involved in a DUI operation, Scotch stressed that it's about being mobile and proactive so officers can stop an alcohol-related incident before it even happens.

“In terms of tactics, we (ISP) don't sit on bars,” he said. “I don’t feel it’s appropriate for us as officers to just be sitting there. It looks like we’re doing a stakeout. We’re on moving patrol and we just keep an eye out for vehicles making traffic violations.”

This most recent operation also included, for the first time, a law enforcement agency based outside Kootenai County.

The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office joined the North Idaho DUI Task Force in mid-August and made their debut last Friday.

Shoshone County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Lee explained the decision to join the task force was made to improve the safety of the community.

“There are many benefits to being on a task force, but the biggest ones are the camaraderie, teamwork between agencies, and ability to share information to that team on alcohol-related events that bring in large numbers of people,” Lee said.

Scotch said his agency is excited to have the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office join as the first non-Kootenai County based law enforcement agency.

“The task force started with the larger agencies in Kootenai, just to kind of get it going and test it," Scotch said. "Now that we are starting to spread out, we are getting more awareness, education and enforcement to all five northern counties.”

Scotch explained that when an agency joins the task force, it is both a symbolic and practical move.

Symbolically, it shows that all involved agencies are united in dedicating resources specifically to cut down on drinking and driving. Practically though, the task force allows all involved agencies to coordinate their operations on the same days at the same times.

Adding the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office to the task force allows law enforcement resources to be allocated further along the Interstate 90 corridor in North Idaho.

“The way I see it, as we move forward with monthly DUI enforcement operations, they’ll be able to work their area and ISP can head over there as well and help with the enforcement of these DUIs in areas that aren’t just Kootenai County,” Scotch said. “We don’t want it to be the ‘Kootenai County DUI Task Force.’ We want it to be the ‘North Idaho DUI Task Force,’ so we are glad that it is spreading its wings and branching out to other areas.”

The North Idaho DUI Task Force will host a booth at the North Idaho State Fair from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday where it will provide breathalyzer/field sobriety testing and introducing themselves to the public. Partnering with beer manufacturer Anheuser-Busch, the task force will also be offering $100 Uber rides for that night of the fair.

The task force does not receive additional funding other than donations from the Kootenai County Substance Abuse Council, which are primarily used to pay for branding and promotional items.