McMinnville Police Department’s saturation patrol over New Year’s weekend was largely uneventful with only one DUI arrest.
“It turned out pretty good,” said Lt. Mark Mara. “We were impressed with all the motorists on the roadway, traveling to and from family, friends, restaurants and taverns. Everyone was really good.
The department sent out a stern warning prior to the holiday weekend – get a designated driver or else.
“Get a designated driver or face the consequences,” Mara said. “We can’t stand to see this tragic loss of life again and again. The hardest part of our job is to notify a family member that someone died and it was a tragic loss that could have been preventable.”
One individual did not heed the warning.
“We did make one DUI arrest during the weekend,” said Mara. “However, we had no accidents involving impaired drivers. We made 22 traffic stops. Of those, we wrote 16 tickets and gave six warnings. We had six extra offers working the saturated patrols.”
The next saturated patrol looking for individuals driving impaired is planned for Super Bowl Sunday.