Minnesota DWI Arrest Drop During Summer Extra Law Enforcement Campaign

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - Extra law enforcement has been on Minnesota roads throughout this summer, and during one campaign the Minnesota Department of Public Safety saw DWI Arrest Drop 31%.

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According to a news release from the Minnesota DPS, during the Labor Day DWI campaign that ran from August 20th through September 6th, 1,147 drivers were arrested for driving impaired compared to 1,649 arrests during the same period in 2020.

Minnesota DPS Also Sees Drop in Move-Over Citations

There were also 130 move-over citations issued on August 31st compared with 294 in 2020.

The enforcement effort supports the Ted Foss Move Over law, which requires that on a road with two or more lanes going the same direction, drivers must move over one full lane from stopped emergency vehicles that have their flashing lights activated. State Patrol Trooper Ted Foss lost his life on August 31st, 2000, when a passing vehicle struck him during a traffic stop on the shoulder of Interstate 90 in Winona.

More than 300 law enforcement agencies across Minnesota participated in the DWI campaign, which included extra patrols, awareness and education, coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (DPS-OTS).

Extra End-of-Summer and Labor Day DWI Campaign History  

Rochester Police Has Most Arrest in Greater Minnesota During Extra Enforcement Campaign

The most arrests made by departments in greater Minnesota include:
• Rochester Police Department - 40
• Red Lake Police Department - 23
• Wright County Sheriff’s Office - 23
• Minnesota State Patrol – District 2100 (Rochester) – 18
• Duluth Police Department – 16
• Mankato DPS Police – 15

Concerns Remain on Minnesota Roads

During the three-month summer period (June-August), law enforcement across the state cited 6,611 drivers for DWI compared with 6,243 during the same period in 2020 and 7,773 in 2019.

Preliminary numbers from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety also show 327 fatalities on Minnesota roads in 2021 compared with 258 reported this time last year. The 327 deaths is a 27 percent increase over last year and a 31 percent increase over 2019 with 250 deaths reported at that time. To date, 80 have died in alcohol-related fatalities in 2021 compared with 98 in 2020 and 80 in 2019.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 35 people died in alcohol-related fatalities. That compares with 52 in 2020 and 44 in 2019.