South Tahoe officers recognized for DUI enforcement

Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Office of Traffic Safety recently awarded several Northern California officers for their efforts in reducing the carnage caused by drunken drivers in their respective communities. Among those awarded were South Lake Tahoe Police Officers Justin Brock and Chris Webber.

Sixty-three DUI arrests were made by these two officers in 2010, 35 by Brock and 28 by Webber.

A total of 215 DUI arrests were made by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department last year.

So far this year, 77 drunken drivers have been arrested by South Lake Tahoe police officers.

According to Office of Traffic Safety statistics, there were 30,000 fatalities from drunken driving nationwide in 1980. That number was drastically reduced to 10,839 fatalities by 2009, due in large part to increased law enforcement efforts, and education through organizations such as MAD. Still, on average, another DUI related fatality occurs every 50 seconds on the nation’s roadways.