its christmas time for the cops and city treasuries. alleged drunk drivers are an easy mark the cops can shake down for lots of money. Original Article Police's DUI reminder: Danger, penalties big Bob Golfen The Arizona Republic Dec. 27, 2005 12:00 AM Once again, Valley police agencies will be out in force this holiday weekend looking for drunken drivers. Just about every police officer in the Valley will be on duty, cruising the streets and trying to reduce the highway carnage that usually accompanies the hard partying of New Year's Eve. "We're trying to saturate officers from all jurisdictions," said state Department of Public Safety Lt. Jeff Stanhope, who heads the East Valley's interagency DUI task force. "The more eyes we have out there, the more likelihood we have of intercepting impaired drivers." The penalties are stiff and the dangers high. Yet every year, thousands of drivers are arrested for driving under the influence and hundreds of people are killed in crashes involving alcohol. In Arizona, 435 people were killed during 2004 in alcohol-related crashes, 38 percent of the total 1,150 traffic deaths. For the past decade, DUI fatalities across the nation have hovered in the 40 percent range of all fatal crashes, according to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The numbers have led some agencies and activists to believe that efforts to combat drunken driving have hit a plateau. "The figures have been pretty flat, and we have to work on that," said Chuck Heeman, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Arizona. "But we've made a pretty good dent for a long time." Encouraging signs But Arizona's consistent number of fatal crashes and DUI traffic deaths, which has stayed in the mid-400 range for the past six years, is also somewhat encouraging because of Arizona's booming population during those years, Heeman said. But that's still a terrible death toll that no amount of effort has been able to stop, he said. "Go find somebody who's life hasn't been affected by a drunk driver. It pretty much touches everyone," Heeman said. When the concerted national fight against impaired driving started about 25 years ago, marked by the founding of MADD, 60 percent of fatal crashes in the United States were attributed to drunken driving. In 1982, that equated to 26,173 people killed in alcohol-related crashes out of 43,945 overall. By 1995, that percentage dropped to 42 percent nationwide, or 17,732 deaths, a reduction largely attributed to intense law enforcement and education campaigns by such groups as MADD and its affiliate, SADD, or Students Against Destructive Decisions. "One of the big pushes we have in Arizona is youth education," said Heeman, who has led the Arizona chapter since August. "We really push making smart decisions and safeguarding yourself and all your friends." The education effort has had a strong effect on lowering DUI offenses, Stanhope said, noting that impaired drivers also includes those using drugs and even drowsy drivers. "There's just an enormous amount of information coming out about those types of things," the lieutenant said. "I pray that a lot of it has helped people become more intolerant and willing to become involved if they see people who are impaired." Controversial report Some of the blame for the continuing DUI mayhem has been placed on chronic alcoholics, hard-core drunken drivers whose repeated offenses show resistance to a change in behavior. Those drivers represent a tiny fraction of all motorists, but are responsible for 58 percent of alcohol-related fatalities, according to a 2003 survey and report titled "Hardcore Drunk Drivers." The project was released by the Century Council, a Washington, D.C., group funded by the liquor industry, so there has been some controversy over the findings. The contention presented in the report is that continual DUI offenders driving with high blood-alcohol levels, including many driving on suspended licenses from previous arrests, cause at least half of all fatal crashes. The conclusion offered in the report is that enforcement needs to concentrate more on the hardcore drinkers and less on casual drinkers. Heeman disputes those findings, noting that most people arrested for DUI are first-time offenders and driving with a blood-alcohol content just over Arizona's 0.08 percent at which, in legal terms, a person is considered intoxicated. More extreme DUI offenses start at 0.15 percent in Arizona. Any level of blood alcohol for a driver younger than 21 is a criminal offense. 'A broader view' "To say that the majority is high DUI and repeat offenders is not true," Heeman said. Most DUIs involve drivers ages 26 to 35, he added. "If they're hard core, I don't know, but it doesn't sound like it," he said. "It's not the guy who's been drinking and driving for 30 years and just got caught." MADD supports the 0.08 DUI threshold adopted by Arizona and many other states, Heeman said, noting that more than 300 studies have identified that as "a level when you're pretty much impaired." Stanhope also doubts the report's findings and conclusion. "I would have to take a broader view. Obviously, I believe there are the hard-core drunks, alcoholics who drive," he said. "But I also think there are social drinkers who drink too much and think they can drive home." Besides Christmas and New Year, other holidays and events have a strong impact on drunken driving, Heeman said. "You have a higher number of parties and get-togethers around holidays than other times of year, so it's just more chances for people to get behind the wheel when they're impaired," he said. "Super Bowl weekend is always a big weekend for police."