EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Driving under the influence continues to be a major issue across El Paso County, and now local law-enforcement agencies are teaming up to crack down on the problem.
KTSM went on a ride-along with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and its newly formed DWI Task Force. This is an effort between the Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies. The goal is to get impaired drivers off the road.
During the operation, deputies and officers are out, watching for signs of impaired drivers.
“Excessive speed or somebody’s going 20 miles an hour on the loop. Maybe, somebody’s driving with their headlights off. Somebody swerving,” one deputy said.
Not every traffic stop leads to an arrest. Sometimes, it’s something minor, including headlights being off and a missed turn signal. Those can lead to warnings, deputies said.
The task force was launched by the Sheriff’s Office earlier this year. During its first operation, 36 arrests were made over Easter weekend. Many of those arrested were repeat offenders, deputies said.
“We have a lot of them that have DWI, on their third or more, and those are the times they’ve gotten caught,” one deputy said.
Sheriff Oscar Ugarte says he plans to present a proposal in October to establish a permanent special operation unit that would focus on DWIs among other issues.
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