'100 Days' nabs fewer DWIs in ABQ area

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - New Mexico's 100 Days And Nights of Summer DWI Enforcement Program ends this Friday and preliminary numbers indicate fewer people were caught drinking and driving this summer than last year.

Bernalillo County Metro Court numbers show DWI arrests are down 25 percent. A total of 1,297 arrested have been made during the 100 Days program this year, with four more days remaining. 1,738 DWI arrests were made during the program last summer.

"If you gauge our success by the number of arrests, it's lower at the checkpoints," Major Pete Kassetas said.

State Police say higher visiblity can account for the decline throughout the year, specifically at the DWI enforcement checkpoints.

State Police do report that their saturation patrols netted 12 DWI arrest in the Albuquerque area over Labor Day weekend.

More arrests by State Police were made from those saturation patrols than the checkpoints this past weekend.

One encouraging number, State Police took 450 calls into their Drunkbuster Hotline this Labor Day weekend compared to 325 calls in 2009.