As part of the citywide “no refusal” program, Austin Police Department reported 24 driving while intoxicated arrests New Year’s Eve night.
Eleven people agreed to breathalyzers and one voluntarily provided a blood sample.
A judge issued 12 blood search warrants for those who did not agree to provide blood samples.
The highest blood alcohol content reading recorded was .16.
According to Police Chief Art Acevedo, deaths due to drunken driving crashes have gone down in Austin since last year.
In 2007, 50 percent of traffic fatalities were caused by drunken driving incidents. That number fell to 37 percent in 2008.
“No refusal” or “no tolerance” means that if a person refuses a breath test, officers can obtain a search warrant. Once the warrant is issued, blood withdrawals are mandatory.
As part of the effort, police officers and the DWI team roamed streets with a breath alcohol testing bus between 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
A room was set aside at the Travis County Jail for blood withdrawals by a phlebotomist.
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In addition to these arrests, APD reported nine arrests on Sixth Street in Downtown Austin.
Seven people were arrested for public intoxication, one for disorderly conduct (fighting) and one for aggravated assault.
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