Rome Police Department to increase DUI enforcement efforts during St. Patrick’s Day Holiday

Media release: In recent years, the Rome Police Department has increased their enforcement efforts towards DUI violators around the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period. This holiday is often times referred to as an “adult holiday” due to the increased consumption of alcoholic beverages during celebrations affiliated with it. The Rome Police Department would like to support a safe and responsible celebration for all of the community that we serve, and by concentrating our traffic enforcement on DUI driving offenses during this period we hope to do just that. Beginning March 12, 2015, and lasting through St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2015), the Selective Enforcement Unit (SEU) will be conducting heavily concentrated DUI enforcement efforts with one simple motto: “If you are over the legal limit and driving, if you are caught, you will be arrested and go to jail.”

Our concentrated patrols during this St. Patrick’s Day holiday period is part of an ongoing effort to crack down on drunken driving violations within the city limits of Rome. SEU officers will be will be working differing hours during this period with the hopes of decreasing the potential for DUI related accidents and injuries, as well as to ensure the continued safety of our roadways. These officers will be focusing on high accident intersections and corridors of major highways, observing traffic and searching for intoxicated motorists. Our efforts are designed to place more officers on the roadways during peak times that DUI incidents are most likely to occur.

It is imperative that Rome’s motorists do not continue their St. Patrick’s Day partying behind the wheel.

The good news is that there are a few simple things one can do in order to get home safely. If you plan on drinking while celebrating, the Rome Police Department would like to offer these simple tips:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin
• Before drinking, always designate a sober driver, and leave your keys at home
• If you do become impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend and/or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely
• If you see an intoxicated person attempting to drive, or observe a drunk motorist on the roadway, call 911 immediately and report it

As always, members of the community that are interested in further information on this topic, or have any other traffic related concerns, are encouraged to contact the Rome Police Department’s Selective Enforcement Unit (SEU) at 706-238-5138 or by visiting the Rome Police Department, located at: 5 Government Plaza Suite 300, Rome, Ga 30162.