Aurora Police Offer Free Rides To People Who've Had Too Much To Drink
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Aurora police officers this weekend were offering free rides home for those who've had too much to drink.
A half taxi cab, half police cruiser makes financial sense. If you're drunk would you rather pay $20 for a ride home, or pay thousands if you're caught driving drunk? But since you don't want to get into a drunk driving accident, the Aurora Police Department is offering a unique program -- call them and they will drive you home.
The program comes with requirements. Aurora citizens must be 21 to participate, be willing to be searched, and sign a liability waiver prior to be allowed inside a police car. Participants will also be offered a blood alcohol test and a warrant check will also be done. That's where some find problem with the program.
"It's kind of helping the police do their job to a certain extent, so maybe it's like some form of entrapment," an Aurora resident said.
"If they have warrants I'm sure they're not going to call," Sgt. William Revelle said.
Some Aurora residents appreciate the concept, but others had objections. They wonder if the program will take the police away from other safety duties.
"To protect and serve they're going beyond their duty. That's what they really need to be doing," Aurora resident Luis Tosky said.
"We are taking our officers off the street when they need to be protecting and patrolling our city," Aurora resident Angelia Baker said.
"None of the officers that are working this tonight would normally be working tonight," Revelle said.
Revelle said on average Aurora police arrest up to 1,500 people a year for DUI and the program provides a chance to educate the public.
"Maybe we can change some behaviors," he said.
A Colorado Department of Transportation is paying for five officers to educate public. The program ends Monday at 2 a.m.
Additional Information From The Aurora Police Department
The results of the Choose Your Ride operation conducted Friday and Saturday night, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m, are as follows:
- 4 people called and were given rides home at their request.
- During the same time period, 16 drivers chose to drive while impaired, and were arrested for DUI or DUI-D by APD officers not involved in the operation.
- Of those 16 arrests, 2 were felonies due to the driver having more than 3 prior convictions for DUI or DUI-D.
The A.P.D. Traffic Section considers this operation a success, especially for a first attempt. The results of the program will be evaluated, and a decision will be made about possibly repeating this program in the future. The operation had two main goals, safety and education, both of which were achieved. The first goal was to increase safety by reducing the number of impaired drivers on the roadways. The second goal was to educate drivers about the dangers of impaired driving, and provide them with alternatives to driving while impaired.
