Launched on Dec. 21 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a drunk-driving prevention campaign is underway in Indian Country to save lives this holiday season.
The campaign, called “Don’t Shatter the Dream,” is being conducted by BIA and tribal law enforcement in Indian Country through Jan. 3, 2010. It seeks to send a message that driving while impaired will not be tolerated throughout the holiday season and that tribal officers are on alert to protect drivers on reservation roadways. This is the fifth year for this enhanced enforcement effort, which includes such tactics as checkpoints and saturation patrols on federal Indian lands.
A new tool utilized this year is the BAT (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobile. Four were delivered in November to three BIA Office of Justice Services law enforcement districts — Billings, Mont., Albuquerque, N.M., and Muscogee, Okla. These districts serve 77 federally recognized tribes, with a combined population of 581,756, in seven states. The 40-foot long mobile units, costing approximately $300,000 each, use state-of-the art lighting, camera and communications systems. Each has an Intoxilyzer 8000 to precisely measure breath alcohol levels, a containment cell to transport suspects and an interior camera to produce court-quality videos of the testing process.
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