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Tag: impaired driving

  • SD Sheriff’s Crime Lab receives $585K grant to combat impaired driving

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    San Diego County Sheriff’s Department crime lab. (Photo courtesy of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department)

    The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that its Regional Crime Laboratory has received a $585,000 state grant to aid in its continuing efforts to combat impaired driving.

    The funding is provided by a California Office of Traffic Safety grant funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and runs through September 2026.

    The grant will be used to fund two full-time crime lab toxicology criminalists specializing in the analysis of biological samples for the presence of alcohol and drugs.

    A criminalist is a hands-on forensic scientist analyzing physical evidence including DNA, fingerprints and ballistics. The grant will assist them in maintaining current forensic alcohol testing operations while working to expand services offered and training on testing methods and interpretation of results, officials said.

    Previously, the crime lab has utilized OTS grant funding to expand drug toxicology testing in DUI case, purchase new equipment, and increase both staffing and training for the crime lab’s toxicology section.

    Since 2017, the average blood alcohol concentration of samples tested by the crime lab’s toxicology section has been above 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit, according to officials.

    From January through September 2025, more than 75% of the blood samples tested for drugs had at least one drug detected. The most commonly detected drugs in DUI drivers were marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, Xanax and Fentanyl.

    The Crime Lab’s Toxicology section also saw a dramatic increase in requests to test for inhalant substances used by DUI drivers including drugs commonly known as NOS/whippets/laughing gas and dust-off.

    The Sheriff’s Crime Lab provides forensic science services to more than 30 law enforcement agencies in San Diego County, processing more than 7,000 traffic safety cases per year.


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  • Saving lives with Saturation Saturday, MADD and law enforcement unite against drunk driving

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    ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Law enforcement ramped up DUI enforcement Saturday night, joining a national effort to stop impaired drivers before tragedy strikes

    The effort, known as Saturation Saturday, is a partnership between law enforcement agencies and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to increase enforcement and public awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.

    According to MADD, someone is killed or injured in a drunk driving crash every 85 seconds in the United States.

    Saturation Saturday began eight years ago and now includes more than 260 law enforcement departments across 16 states and Puerto Rico.

    Prosecutors joined officers on ride-alongs to observe how DUI stops are handled in real time.

    While arrests are sometimes part of the outcome, Sgt. Zeamer said the goal is to prevent crashes altogether.

    In Missouri, impaired driving remains a serious issue. It accounts for 18 percent of traffic fatalities statewide, according to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. Impaired driving includes not only alcohol use, but also drug use, including prescription medications and marijuana.

    According to the coalition, “drug-related fatalities have steadily increased over the last 10 years.”

    Law enforcement and traffic safety advocates say efforts like Saturation Saturday are about more than citations and arrests; they’re about changing behavior and saving lives.

    According to a Facebook post made by the Buchanan County Missouri Sheriff, their departments statistics for the night were 61 traffic stops, 2 warrant arrests, and 3 DWI arrests.

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  • Marijuana is legalized, but Rochester law enforcement officials note not everything surrounding pot is legal – Post Bulletin – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Marijuana is legalized, but Rochester law enforcement officials note not everything surrounding pot is legal – Post Bulletin – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    ROCHESTER — Just because Minnesota became the

    23rd state to legalize some recreational use of marijuana,

    doesn’t mean people can get away with driving while under the influence.

    While there will be some changes to which criminal cases will be investigated and prosecuted, when it comes to impaired driving, police will continue to do what they’ve done for years to keep impaired drivers off the road. Some are even raising concerns over a possible increase in drivers who are under the influence.

    “It makes me sad that our society is willing to give up more deaths, serious injuries, minor injuries, and crashes in general just because a small element of our population willingly puts a foreign substance in their body and will then choose to drive,” said Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson.

    Looking at other states like Colorado that legalized recreational use may give some insight into what might happen on Minnesota roads.

    In Colorado, deaths involving a driver who tested above the legal limit for active THC increased 58% between 2020 and 2021,

    according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

    Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana in 2012

    but only began testing for drugs besides alcohol in 2019

    .

    According to CDOT,

    10% of drivers convicted of a DUI had only THC in their system,

    with alcohol being present…

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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