The Garland Police Department is stepping up its effort to curb the amount of people driving while intoxicated (DWI) in the city.
According to a post on Garland PD’s Facebook page, the department will increase DWI patrols beginning on March 4 until March 20.
The department explained the increased DWI patrols are for an Impaired Driver Mobilization (IDM) project, funded through a TXDOT grant program that targets DWI and Driving Under the Influence (DUI) by Minors.
Marked and unmarked police vehicles will be patrolling, primarily in the nighttime hours.
Garland Police announced in the Facebook post that convicted first-time offenders could be expected to pay a fine of up to $2,000, lose their driver’s license for up to a year, or even be jailed for 180 days.
According to the Garland Police, safety officials have revealed that an arrest and conviction in connection to DWI can cost offenders up to $17,000 for bail, legal fees, court-ordered classes, court appearances, vehicle insurance increases, and other expenses.
“A person in Texas dies every nine hours and six minutes in a DUI-alcohol-related traffic crash,” Garland PD wrote on its Facebook page. “Last year, 963 people in Texas were killed and 2,114 seriously injured because someone chose to get behind the wheel while impaired.”
The Dallas Morning News reported that DWI offenders could also face state fines ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 upon sentencing. Offenders that had a child passenger in their vehicle during a DWI arrest could also be charged with child endangerment and fined up to $10,000.
