Tyler Police, Others Ramp Up Memorial Day Traffic Efforts

TYLER — Tyler police are again engaging in a couple of safety efforts for the Memorial Day holiday. Click It or Ticket was already underway, and the “No Refusal” DWI campaign kicked in Friday.

Under the “No Refusal” effort, the department will be participating in a State Grant during the Memorial Day Holiday that will provide funding to the department to enforce DWI laws. The enforcement detail will be on the lookout for intoxicated drivers Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27. A multi-joint effort between the Smith County District Attorney’s Office and police agencies from all over Smith County will participate in the “No Refusal” effort. Upon the arrest of a suspected drunk driver, he or she will be asked to blow into a breath-test machine or take a blood test. If the driver refuses, officers will obtain an immediate search warrant signed by a judge on call to have blood drawn by a nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. The blood is then analyzed to determine whether the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or higher, the legal limit for driving in Texas.

According to police, “This program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers. It is the intent of all Law Enforcement agencies that this effort will act as a deterrent, persuading people to avoid driving while intoxicated because they know that police officers will be conducting sobriety testing with or without driver’s consent. Please don’t drink and drive!”

Under Click It or Ticket, officers continue to stop violators for not wearing their seat belts in an effort that kicked off May 20 and runs through June 2. Texas law requires every person sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt. A child less than eight years old and less than four feet, nine inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat. Drivers can be stopped and ticketed for a safety belt violation if they, or any of their passengers under the age of 15, are not buckled up or properly restrained. Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs.