DUI Arrests Up Despite Fewer Resources

Despite fewer resources, Metro Nashville, Tenn., police are arresting more impaired drivers this year by reprioritizing their resources.

The Tennessean reports that metro officers had arrested 918 people for DUI by the end of March, compared with 632 in the same period last year. And they accomplished that with 20 to 30 fewer officers on the street.

Metro police Lt. Keith Stephens, who is the traffic section commander, says Chief Steve Anderson made DUIs a priority due to the link between impaired drivers and fatal accidents.

The department increased the size of its DUI squad last year, and it analyzed crime data to find hot-spots for drunken driving.

The combination seems to be working, with DUI arrests by squad members up 96 percent so far this year.