NEWS RELEASE                                             

For Immediate Release
December 2, 2005
Contact: Michele Nicholson
Public Information Officer 
(850) 651-7420  

DUI ZERO TOLERANCE PAYING OFF

For the first time, the Okaloosa County Sheriff 's Office has passed the 500 mark for drunk driving arrests in a single year. That includes the work of the Office's dedicated DUI unit, which has made more than 150 of those arrests.   Plans are in the works to add a second, similar night-time traffic enforcement unit in North Okaloosa County in 2006.

 With the holiday and party season now underway, Sheriff Charlie Morris wants to remind the public that his agency has a zero tolerance policy for drunk driving. That policy, combined with better enforcement, and a focus on deputy training in making DUI arrests, is credited with the successful crackdown on violators. However citizen involvement is also playing a key role. The Okaloosa Sheriff 's Office, as well as other law enforcement agencies, routinely gets calls from citizens who phone-in information regarding impaired drivers. Sheriff Morris, along with the President of the Okaloosa/Walton Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Peter Wolniewicz, thank citizens for that help and encourage them to keep up the good work.

OCSO DUI ARRESTS

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