North Idaho receives funding to combat impaired driving

COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho’s DUI Task Force recently received a $28,750 grant to stop impaired drivers.

The funding will train more drug recognition experts and law-enforcement phlebotomists, giving officers better tools to detect and remove impaired drivers from local roads, a press release said.

The North Idaho DUI Task Force is a coalition of 15 regional law enforcement agencies representing jurisdictions in all five northern counties of the Panhandle. 

In 2023, the task force worked 12 joint operations during suspected DUI peak events and hours like evenings and weekends. During the targeted enforcement on New Year’s Eve 2023, the task force made 30 DUI arrests and responded to one DUI crash. There were no DUI-related fatalities.

“Our law enforcement partners in Idaho and across the country are doing everything they can to address impaired driving and make our roads safer, but they face an incredible challenge and need our support,” said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins. 

Sgt. Troy Tulleners emphasized the success of partnerships in reducing collisions and improving road safety.

"Together, we have made significant strides in making our roads safer. This grant funding will bolster the Task Force members’ efforts during peak enforcement times in hopes of lowering the respective fatalities," he said.

The grant funds came from the Governors Highway Safety Association, the National Alliance to Stop Impaired Driving, and Responsibility.org.