Officers on the Lookout for DWI Drivers during 4th of July Holiday

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department and other agencies are once again stepping up patrols targeting DWI drivers for the 4th of July Holiday. The department will be participating in a state grant during the holiday that will provide funding to the department to enforce DWI laws. The enforcement detail will be on the look-out for intoxicated drivers from Friday, July 1st, at 3:00 p.m. through Monday, July 4th.

The Tyler Police Department along with Smith County law enforcement agencies will be out in force during the holiday on the lookout for drunken drivers and they won’t be taking “No” for an answer. 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’ DWI Campaign once again.

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.

Police say This program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers. According to a Tyler Police Department news release, 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 drivers’ consent.