Cranston Police Deploying Increased Driving While Intoxicated Patrols this Evening through the Thanksgiving Holiday

Colonel Michael J. Winquist, Chief of the Cranston Police Department, announces increased driving while intoxicated patrols will begin this evening through the Thanksgiving Holiday in conjunction with their ongoing Operation Blue Riptide enforcement efforts. The Cranston Police Department is joining other local police departments in deploying additional patrols charged with enforcing all traffic violations, while paying special attention to identifying and arresting impaired operators. This effort is being funded by the State Office of Highway Safety.

DUI patrols will be participating in an intensive enforcement effort on what is traditionally the busiest travel period of the year in the United States. Americans take 233 billion trips in cars each year. Of those, approximately one out of every two thousand trips are taken by those who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs with almost one out of every three traffic deaths involving impaired operators. On average, every 53 minutes someone is killed in a crash caused by an impaired driver. Every two minutes, someone is injured as a result of an entirely preventable crime.

Members of the public are asked to dial 911 on their cellular telephones to report reckless or possibly impaired drivers.

Colonel Michael Winquist stated, “Please be responsible and use a designated driver if you choose to drink over the Holidays. Our officers will exercise zero tolerance when encountering impaired drivers. We would much rather make arrests than respond to a fatal crash.”