Casper Police: A DUI a day (sometimes more) in 19 days

CASPER, Wyo. — Casper Police weren’t putting up with driving under the influence during the last half of August.

“DUI’s don’t have a time-frame,” traffic officer Ryan Brownell said in a prepared statemetn.

“There are arrests at all hours of the day and night, every day of the week,” Brownell said.

Officers arrested 22 people from Aug. 14 through Labor Day, Sept. 2, Police Department spokeswoman Amber Freestone said Wednesday.

That’s an average of more than one a day.

And more than 30 percent of those arrested registered a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.16% or more, which is twice the legal limit of 0.08%, Freestone said.

The effort to thwart drunk driving was part of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s impaired driving prevention program, she said.

The Police Department received multiple grants, with the help of grant funding approved by the Casper City Council, she said. The funding pays for officers’ overtime during that period, she said.

The Department encourages people to contact dispatch through the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately — “REDDI” — if they observe erratic driving, Freestone said.

People may feel like they’re snitching on somebody, but the consequences of not doing so could be fatal, she added.

Likewise, Brownell said, “We encourage members of #ourcommunity to always step in when a friend, family member, or even a stranger next to you plans on driving under the influence. Get them a Natrona County Safe Ride 24 hours a day – you might save a life.”