The holiday season is here, and that means it's all hands on deck. Montgomery County police mean business, and their message is clear:
“If you plan to drink, plan for a safe ride home. Make that better decision. Don't drink and drive,” said Sgt. Pat Kepp with MCPD.
The Montgomery County Police Holiday Alcohol Task Force is kicking into high gear looking for impaired drivers. Forty officers are hitting the street on what officials call “the most dangerous night on the road.”
“Statistics show that this is the busiest drinking night of the year,” Kepp said. “It's the highest rate of crashes related to alcohol and drug impaired driving and also fatalities as a result of those crashes as well.”
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Several agencies are lending a hand over the next few weeks. Officials say the holiday Task Force officially launched last weekend, making 29 arrests in the first few days.
“Those officers, they aren't voluntold,” Kepp said said. “They all take the initiative on their own to sign up for this detail and be a part of it and, again, work our Wednesday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to three, which aren't great.”
Miguel Vela shared with officers How drunk driving changed his life forever — a painful reminder about why this task force is so important.
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“Every single person that gets pulled over by you and you stop them from doing what I did — Thank you,” he said.
Police say the saturation patrols will run the entire holiday season and wrap up the second weekend in January.
