Fewer drunken drivers encountered
By ROGER ADKINSPARKERSBURG - There seem to be fewer drunken drivers on city streets and roads, police said Friday.
Lt. Barker, Parkersburg Police Department, said officers arrested 176 individuals for driving under the influence in 2008. This marks a 15 percent decrease from 207 in 2007, he said.
Barker said the police department has not decreased enforcement levels of DUI laws and officers are reporting fewer encounters with inebriated drivers.
"During the past three years, the department has made a concerted effort to enforce the law on driving under the influence," Barker said. "Officers are finding it more difficult to find DUI drivers. Officers making contact with the public are seeing a higher number of designated drivers."
The department receives a DUI enforcement grant through the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Highway Safety and Safe Community Program, which provides funding for extra officers on the road to look for and arrest DUI offenders.
"The effort seems to be working. The department's goal is to increase the public awareness of drinking and driving and to make the roads in Parkersburg a safer place to travel," Barker said.
Chief Gerald Board said officers have been reporting fewer contacts with intoxicated drivers.
"All the officers have told me that it's more difficult to find them than it has been in the past. We want to think the effective enforcement is what is causing this. I believe it is. I think they know we're out there and they're taking us more seriously than before."
Board said he believes people are simply being more sensible and cautious. He said there seem to be fewer drunken drivers on the streets of Parkersburg than there were years ago.
"I think people are being more cautious. They're using designated drivers, calling cabs or staying where they are. I feel there aren't as many intoxicated drivers on the streets as there once was. I believe it has definitely decreased in our area," he said.
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sunnydays
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01-05-09 8:11 PM
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For people who don't know anything about law enforcement, Board does look good but you can not judge a book by its cover. He doesn't have a clue to what to do. Thats why Newell micro manages the department. At least that is what the men who know are saying.
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Belmont
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01-04-09 6:11 PM
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What screen name are you talking about? Goatboy?
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Mama01
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01-04-09 5:42 PM
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Oh hush up about Chief Board.. met him once and I was impressed with his professionalism and sincerity.
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derbeobachter
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01-03-09 10:17 PM
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At least no one is trying to sell McCain’s Senate seat, wait till Paul Harvey tells the rest of the story
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whoreallycares
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01-03-09 7:30 PM
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Derbeo...do you mean out of touch like McCain was out of touch?
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HereinPburg
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01-03-09 6:49 PM
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Morale starts at the top, the city employee’s I know attribute any low morale to Mayor Newell, who has been nickname “The Prince”. Pretty much described as on a power trip, I would think having employee benefits and broken promises would lead to poor morale. Why doesn’t the PN&S instead of doing a pole on the DUI issue do an investigative repots on the Mayor office. I seem to reading a lot of dissatisfied citizen’s letters to the editor.
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derbeobachter
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01-03-09 6:29 PM
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I have a clue, maybe DUI arrest are down because they are nation wide. That’s at least to internet statistics. It maybe because of the impact of highway safety programs to reduce drunk driving, or maybe people are just getting the point and staying home. Sunnydays, you should quit having coffee with Newell he’s out of touch.
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whoreallycares
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01-03-09 4:04 PM
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I have no comment on board because I really don't know much about him but that's the first time I've heard of police officers not arresting dui drivers because of low morale. I don't know why trained cops would stop arresting easy targets just because they have a crappy chief. But who knows.
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Belmont
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01-03-09 3:42 PM
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Nice but inept? If you want to see "not nice and inept" you can look back and find a lot of them prior to Newell and Board!
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sunnydays
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01-03-09 11:03 AM
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Our local "reporters" should ask for DUI statistics for the past 5 years and they might notice that the decline in DUI arrests started at the time Chief Board took over. I wonder why? Officers that I know actually attribute this decline in low morale caused by a nice but inept chief of police.
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