LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The DUI Strike Team didn't strike out in 2019, stripping suspected DUI drivers from Las Vegas roads.
They’ve been pushing hard through last year with sting operations and checkpoints.
It’s a small unit making a big impact.
“If we can get impaired drivers off the road, we can save lives, and that’s what we did in 2019,” says Andrew Bennett, Nevada Office of Traffic Safety.
Bennett says the team made 992 arrests in 2019 in the Las Vegas area.
“So to have a team of 8 that does around 12 to 10% of those arrests just shows the importance of having those resources available,” says Bennett.
In 2020, the team is growing and recruiting one more Nevada Highway Patrol trooper.
“Having those extra resources is going to be key as we look to expand it in the future,” says Bennett.
Another task for the Strike Team through the new year is tackling wrong-way drivers and crashes.
Bennett says his office is working to find solutions.
As recently as New Year’s Eve night, an NHP trooper caught a car in time before tragedy, driving in the wrong lane along Las Vegas Blvd. near the M Resort.
“We’ve been dealing with wrong way crashes for a long time now unfortunately, but it is something that when we look at the root causes, it does usually revolve around impairment,” says Bennett.
