Harris County Fourth of July 'no refusal' DWI initiative announced

HOUSTON - Harris County officials are cracking down on impaired driving over the Fourth of July holiday by conducting "no refusal" enforcement.

There will be extra patrols on the streets as well as waterways, and dozens of agencies will be out working alongside the Harris County District Attorney’s office to obtain blood warrants much faster for those suspected of driving drunk.

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"You just can’t emphasize enough the force multiplier that police agencies can be when they all work together. And when you add the district attorney’s office to that, in these no refusal weekends, it’s really powerful," said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, every two hours someone dies on a Texas roadway. Twenty-five percent of those are related to drunk driving. The Houston Police Department says in the last year there have been 31 deaths on our roads because of DWI-related crashes.

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Just looking at last July 4, there were 96 DWI arrests in Harris County.

"[July 4] should not be a time where we have people having to go and get that terrible, tragic phone call that their loved one has lost their lives or seriously injured because somebody chose to be irresponsible and drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car or boat," said HPD acting chief Larry Satterwhite.

So if you do plan to celebrate Independence Day, these law enforcement officials want you to develop a plan by designating a sober driver or by calling any ride share service or cab before deciding to drive drunk.