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New task force targets drunk and impaired drivers on Houston-area roads
While New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate, it is also the deadliest holiday for drivers.
PORTER, Texas - It’s New Year’s Eve and officers everywhere will be on the lookout for drunk drivers—especially the new task force created in Montgomery County for traffic and DWIs.
FOX 26’s Chelsea Edwards was able to follow along with the Precinct 4 team to give us a look at how they keep dangerous people off the roads.
It's right after 6 p.m. and just a few minutes into the shift.
"My sergeant just called us saying that he might possibly have a DWI suspect, so we're going to go over and conduct an investigation to see what we've got,” says Officer Roxana Castillo.
We're hitting the road to the Walmart parking lot in Porter where a woman is pulled over for suspected drunk driving.
The traffic and DWI task force was formed by Montgomery County Precinct 4 in October.
“Drunk drivers have been kind of rampant in the area,” Officer Castillo says.
It started with three officers undergoing specialty training to detect impairment for things other than alcohol.
“It can be drugs, any kind of drug. It can be marijuana. It could be prescription medication that you’re not supposed to be taking while operating heavy machinery, which is a vehicle,” Officer Castillo says.
The woman is arrested for driving while intoxicated—plus she has a warrant out of Montgomery County for a previous DWI and one for felony theft out of Harris County.
Then, there’s the drive to Kingwood Hospital, getting a nurse to draw blood, then 30 minutes to Montgomery County Jail for processing and paperwork.
DWI investigations can take a lot time—so the task force frees up patrols to respond to other calls.
They’ve also earned a reputation for putting offenders on social media with charges and previous misdeeds.
“Don’t do the crime and you won’t be on Facebook,” Officer Castillo says.
The department says the small team averages about 30 arrests a month—also responding to accidents and ticketing distracted drivers.
“We just want to make a difference,” Officer Castillo says.
They’ll surely be scanning the streets on one of the most dangerous nights to get behind the wheel –and well into the new year.