Zero injury crashes from DUI push

The North Idaho DUI Task Force conducted another successful DUI emphasis for the week of the Fourth of July holiday from July 1 through July 5.

The goal for the task force is always zero injuries and zero deaths caused by an impaired driver.

“This operation was an extreme success with zero impairment-related serious injury or fatality collisions reported,” Idaho State Police Sgt. Justin Scotch said.

During the holiday emphasis, regional ISP troopers, sheriff’s deputies, police and law enforcement filed 98 charges, and of those 26 were for DUIs. Total charges were nearly double any other emphasis this year, though the length of the push was also double a typical holiday weekend.

Arrests for impaired driving were below the New Year’s Eve total of 31.

There was one impairment-related collision that caused property damage during the week, but no injuries.

Misdemeanor drug charges were significantly higher than any other emphasis so far this year, with 33 charges for the Fourth and only nine on New Year’s, or 15 on Memorial Day. Warrant arrests were also significantly higher with eight, versus three for New Year’s and Cinco de Mayo or only two on Memorial Day.

The full list of arrests for the Fourth of July emphasis is below:

• DUI Charges — 26

• Open Container Charges — 5

• Warrant Arrests — 8

• Felony Drug Possession Charges — 4

• Injury to Child Charges — 7

• Misdemeanor Drug Offenses — 33

• Misdemeanor Driving Offenses — 13

• Resisting and Obstructing Charges — 1

• Providing False Information to Law Enforcement Charges — 1

• Impairment Related Property Damage Collision Investigations — 1

• Impairment Related Serious Injury/Fatality Collisions — 0

The positive results from the holiday emphasis allowed Scotch to step down from his role as the ISP lead for the task force on a strong foot. The Fourth of July Emphasis was the last one Scotch will lead, though he’ll be able to act in a supporting role as necessary.

“Thank you all for the opportunity to serve alongside you as a partner in this important mission of providing impaired driving education, awareness, and enforcement to our communities,” Scotch said to the task force members in an email.

Scotch’s position of task force lead will be filled by Sgt. Austin Rosedale, who has been on the task force since its inception in 2019.

"It's been a treat to see the work the task force has done in the last few years," Rosedale said. "We are making a difference and the task force is saving and changing lives. So I'm happy to be here."