Eyewitness at a STOP DWI Checkpoint

We've heard about them on the news, some of us have driven through them in the past, but do you really know what goes on at a STOP DWI checkpoint?

I was able to witness one (actually two that went on simultaneously) first-hand on Friday night in the town of Evans. 17 officers from various departments - Tonawanda, West Seneca, Orchard Park, Erie County Sheriff's, and the State Police set up checkpoints on either side of the Sunset Bay bars.

It was an interesting thing to observe to say the least. For one, there's a very important procedure to follow (or the court case could be endangered) - so all officers were briefed on what to do, say, etc. at the beginning of the night. As drivers pulled through the checkpoint, they were informed of the purpose of the checkpoint, asked if they had been drinking, and most were allowed to pass.

Officers did pull over several cars and made several arrests, and I was able to witness a few of them. I can't get into the exact details of what happened here, but let's just say in some of the cases what began as a DWI arrest ended with a few more charges for the driver.

For me, this checkpoint was a step forward in better understanding the police officer's role in fighting DWI. Yes, arrests were made, but it's not yet clear how many of those arrested will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The next step is the court case, where the judge makes the final call on what will happen.

A special thank you to all the officers and STOP DWI who extended a warm welcome to Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc. It was a long night for yours truly, but well worth it. Not too many people get to observe something like this, and I appreciated the experience.


Deanna

What is a CRT?

A couple days ago I learned what a DWI Crash Response Team (CRT) is. This team is made up of specially trained officers who respond to serious injury or fatal DWI crashes. They diagram a crash scene using a Total Station. Their primary focus is to gather evidence and witness accounts so prosecuters can more accurately do their job. The team is made up of three people - two members operated the Total Station, or TS, while the third, the principal investigator folows up, verifies witness accounts and briefs the District Attorney's office. They are men and women who have seen the worst crash scenes and we need more of them.

On Friday, STOP DWI of Erie County held a briefing for area police to better understand what a CRT is and the necessity for more training. Some of the departments who currently have CRTs include West Seneca, Cheektowaga, Lancaster, Amherst, Erie County Sheriff's and the NY State Police. The Buffalo police department has the Total Station, but officers haven't yet been trained on how to use it. There are still several WNY police departments who need the training to get CRTs in their area.

Mike Summers is a member of the Erie County Sheriff's Crash Response Team. He said the key to this team is being able to investigate without shutting down major highways. How does the Total Station work? According to Summers, the computer system helps with the math equations so they can more accurately investigate - for example - the exact speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash. It also has a surveying tool that draws a center line, incorporates that into the computer and draws out the crash scene, the locations of the cars, and all the evidence.

Lynn Reda is an Assistant District Attorney and heads up the Vehicular Crimes Bureau. She spoke of one court case where the CRT team responded and the grand jury was so impressed by the testimony of the investigating officer that they applauded in court. Reda calls it a "wonderful tool" and says not only does it make the criminal case easiser, but it also makes a difference in the civil lawsuit as well. In many cases, the insurance companies are more likely to pay the family because these reports are so complicated and they don't want to spend the time it takes to go through all the details.

In the end, the people who benefit most from the Crash Response Team are the victims and victims' families. The CRT gives them more piece of mind that a thorough investigation was done and that everything that can be done is being done. A CRT did not investigate my sister's crash, and I'm sure that a more extensive report would have answered many of our questions that were left unanswered.

I applaud STOP DWI and local police departments for these efforts because it's things like CRTs that will help investigate and hopefully prevent future crashes.

Deanna

Good News! Bracelets Appear to Be Working

Often I get discouraged when I read about drinking and driving in the newspaper. It's often stories like crashes or accidents - some deadly - and they are preventable.

Today I'm happy to report there's some good news regarding DWI in today's Buffalo News. The bracelets that chronic drunk drivers had to wear as part of their sentence are working in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. In case you're not familiar with these bracelets, they measure alcohol through the skin and take a reading at least once an hour. The program is paid for through grants. Some of these offenders are coming from the county's newly established DWI court. I also agree with this concept, a specially designed court - established primarily to deal with drinking and driving.

According to Patrick Lakamp's article in this morning's Buffalo News:

None of the 61 offenders was arrested again for drunken driving during the program’s first year in Buffalo and Niagara Falls courtrooms. Only a handful tampered with the monitoring device or were caught consuming alcohol.

Offenders:

• Tampered with the bracelets or failed to show up in court six times.

• Failed four drug tests out of 215 given.

• Fully passed unannounced breath tests during probation home visits.

• Showed up at 95 percent of 1,007 scheduled individual treatment visits and 2,420 group counseling sessions.

• Attended 3,330 support group meetings sponsored by Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or some other group.

I couldn't be happier to see that most of these DWI offenders are following the rules of the bracelets, and I'm even more pleased that more towns are following the lead set by the two cities. Lackawanna, Tonawanda, and Lockport are all set to start the program in 2009, and Jamestown, Dunkirk, and Batavia will be following their lead later next year.

I agree with Erie County STOP DWI coordinator John Sullivan that these DWI offenders are being watched and monitored even though they're not in jail. I wonder if the offender who killed Karen was a part of this program ten years ago, perhaps that crash would have never happened.

Deanna

Too Drunk to Walk, Let Alone Too Drunk to Drive

This Niagara Falls man is a prime example of the kind of person we are working to keep off our roads. Not only is he too drunk to drive, but police describe him as too drunk to walk. Here's the link to the article. Check out the charges that he faces: felony driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence of drugs, leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of having alcohol in a vehicle, reckless driving, failure to keep right and driving without insurance.

Wonder why he doesn't have insurance? Prior DWIs perhaps?

Enough of my opinion.

We are working to keep our roads safe.

Deanna

Playing Games With Teens' Emotions or a Unique Way to Scare Kids Straight?

When I visited schools in Western New York this spring to tell them Karen's story, there were quite a few tears. Some shed by me as I shared the emotions of what my family and I have been through in the past 10 years, and some more shed by students in the audience who could relate to something I said. In my presentation, I go through the entire experience of
March 6, 1998 - what it was like being told that my only sister was killed by a drunk driver.

In a California high school last month, police officers visited 20 classrooms with news that several students were killed in car wrecks. Kids became hysterical. Hours later they were told that it was all an exercise designed to "scare kids straight" about drinking and driving. School officials have come under criticism for the tactics they used.

One Buffalo News reader in Orchard Park felt firmly objected to the tactic.

What do I think as a "crusader" against drunk driving? I have mixed emotions on what these CA administrators did. While I agree with the Orchard Park reader that they toyed with the kids emotions, I do know that sometimes teens just don't hear the message. Assembly after assembly this prom season I would see some kids leaving with a look on their faces that they still believed that they are invincible, thinking perhaps "even though Karen was killed, it won't happen to me". Perhaps telling students that their classmates were killed in crashes was the only way school leaders could get the message across. Will it save lives? Perhaps.

What I've been saying all along, is if I can impact one person sitting in each of those assemblies, it will be worth it. These school officials probably left a lasting impression on a lot of students.

Feel free to post comments to this blog if you agree or disagree.

Until next time...
Deanna

Deanna & Jen Go to the Prom

It's been 15 years since my prom. Hard to believe that it's been that long. Last night, I went back to the prom.

Why? A few months ago, when Jennifer Stehlar (Mrs. New York American Beauty 2008) and I talked about pre-prom assemblies, and getting the word out about the dangers of drinking and driving, I suggested going to the prom to give kids another reminder of the dangers of DWI right there at the event itself. Iroquois Central High School agreed, and last night Jen and I went to the prom!

The prom was held at the Hyatt in downtown Buffalo. We set up a table, I brought Karen's picture, and we encouraged teens to sign a "pre-prom" promise, pledging not to drink and drive and encouraging others to do the same. I am happy to say we collected 50 signatures from teens, and I was very pleased to see a few people signing the pledge without encouragement from Jen and I - they took the pledge on their own. We are proud of each and every signature received at the event, and Iroquois students really are a "great group of kids".

We enjoyed a delicious dinner with Iroquois faculty, and soon afterwards posed for our official prom picture. After a little coaxing from me, Jen and I stepped onto the dance floor and had a great time dancing up a storm! We even helped crown the royal court - prom princess, prom queen, etc. for the event. It was a pleasure being part of last night's special event for Iroquois seniors.

I've attached several pictures from the prom to this blog, and my second blog on Buffalo.com/YourHub has more observations on how times have changed since my prom.

A special thank you to Jenn, Iroquois Principal Dennis Kenney, Trooper DePlato, Jeff Toy, and many others who made the night so memorable.

Deanna

Teaching Teens a Lesson in O.P.

Today was "Senior Day" at Orchard Park High School, and it began with a very serious message. Teens were taken outside and witnessed a mock car crash, right outside their high school gym.
Orchard Park's SADD chapter, Orchard Park Police, local firefighters, and Mercy Flight all participated in the staged accident. Two cars were involved and a third mini-van actually exploded.

Five teens were involved in the mock crash. Both teen drivers were driving under the influence - one under the influence of alcohol and the other had drugs in his system. It was a fatal wreck, so Orchard Park's seniors actually witnessed one of their classmates being put in a body bag.

It was emotionally jarring for me. I've seen plenty of these re-enactments on TV, but up close, and seeing the wreckage and police and fire crews rescuing the victims brought me back to my sister's crash 10 years ago.

Here's a link to WIVB-TV's news story on the mock crash.

I was at the school to work the mock crash into a video project I'm producing with STOP DWI of Erie County, before my presentation to seniors for their assembly. I also interviewed police, a prosecutor and volunteer firefighters for that project.

Following the mock crash, seniors were taken into the auditorium to see the teens charged and placed in jail on video. Orchard Park Police Officer Patrick Fitzgerald and Assistant District Attorney Brian Parker then talked to students about the dangers of DWI, before I told them Karen's story.

Teens were very attentive and I was impressed by the response. It was the first opportunity for Garrett, my brother-in-law, who's also a senior at O.P. to hear Karen's story, and I was glad he was able to hear the presentation.

A special thank you to O.P. for their generous donation to Crusade Against Impaired Driving. Another thank you to Larry Goble for organizing the mock crash and assembly and Don Lorentz, who helped with the video project this morning.


Deanna