MERIDIAN, Idaho — Law enforcement agencies across the Treasure Valley have teamed up to address the growing problem of impaired driving by creating a new DUI Task Force.
- The coalition, which includes police departments from Boise, Garden City, Nampa, and Meridian, as well as the Idaho State Police and the Ada and Canyon County Sheriff’s Offices, aims to reduce impaired driving through increased patrols and education campaigns.
- Task force members will target high-risk times and events, like holidays and large local gatherings, to curb dangerous behavior before accidents happen.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I think we have a 53% increase since 2019 in DUI fatalities just here in the Treasure Valley, and a 26% increase in DUI-related crashes in general," says Idaho State Police Sergeant Brandon Rowley with the DUI Task Force.
In response to rising impaired driving incidents, law enforcement agencies across the Treasure Valley are joining forces to form the new DUI Task Force. The collaborative effort includes Idaho State Police, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, and police departments in Boise and Garden City. Their goal is to lower the alarming number of alcohol-related crashes.
"We're going off what North Idaho has been able to establish with their task force up there, and we're taking that and applying it directly down here," Sergeant Rowley said.
By building on the success of North Idaho’s DUI Task Force, the Treasure Valley team plans to use a mix of enforcement and education. The agencies are collaborating with local businesses to raise awareness and encourage safe driving practices.
"We partner with different businesses to hand out whether it's free coffee or Uber to responsible drivers on our traffic stops," says Sergeant Rowley.
The task force is especially focused on drivers in their twenties, a group with the highest impaired driving incidents in the region.
"Impaired driving is one of those things that can affect anybody," says Garden City Police Colonel Matt Biagi.
Agencies like Nampa and Meridian Police Departments will join this effort, helping smaller forces maximize their impact.
"It's really great for a smaller department like Garden City Police because we can tap into the resources of these bigger agencies like the Idaho State Police, Nampa, and Boise Police, and we can really make a bigger impact in Garden City, but also in the Treasure Valley as a whole," says Colonel Biagi.
Enforcement will increase around high-risk times, such as major holidays and local events, to deter impaired drivers before they become a danger to others.
