|
Law enforcement kicks off ‘Booze It and Lose It’ here
By Justin Goble
Law enforcement officials from more than 35 counties gathered at the steps of the old Jackson County Courthouse last Friday (Aug. 19) for the kick-off of the Fall 2005 “Booze It and Lose It” campaign.
“This is an historic moment,” Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe said. “It’s the first time in Western North Carolina that the kick-off for the western region ‘Booze It and Lose It’ is this far west. It goes to show that law enforcement officers in WNC are dedicated to making a difference.
Officers from more than 35 counties and agencies gathered at the top of the old Jackson County Courthouse steps Friday (Aug. 19) to kick-off the Western region’s 2005 “Booze It and Lose It” campaign in Sylva. Kathy Hansen (inset photo), a victim of drunk driving, was joined by 30th District Attorney Mike Bonfoey, left, Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe, center and N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Chairman Darrell Jernigan as she described the devastating effect a drunk driver has had on her life. – Herald photos by Nick Breedlove.
“I don’t need statistics to tell you the results of drunk driving,” Ashe continued. “There is death, injury, and broken homes, with many families devastated by drunk driving each year.”
As a part of the two-week effort, law enforcement officials will step up DWI checkpoints across the state. Last year, officers stopped 11,000 drunk drivers during the “Booze It and Lose It” campaign
“The message of ‘Booze It and Lose It’ is simple,” said said N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Chairman Darrell Jernigan. “If you drink and drive, you will get caught. By increasing enforcement efforts, we are reinforcing this message and showing our commitment to keeping North Carolina’s roads safe from impaired drivers.”
Kathy Hansen, who was hit by a drunk driver while walking with her son, joined the officials at the courthouse to relate how drunk driving has affected her life.
“My life and the lives of my family were immediately changed,” she said, describing how her legs were run over in the accident and permanently impaired. “On May 9, I was in a hospital bed. On May 9, the drunk driver who hit me was out of jail. Within 10 days, he was legally driving in the truck that hit me.”
District Attorney Mike Bonfoey said that, while officers are doing their best to get impaired drivers off of roads, it is up to the community to keep people from drinking and driving.
More than 79 citations were given out at a DWI checkpoint on U.S. 74 near Balsam Friday night (Aug. 19), including six for driving while impaired. The checkpoint is one of the many that are a part of the state’s “Booze It and Lose It” campaign, which kicked off its regional iniative Friday morning in Sylva. – Herald photo by Nick Breedlove
“We’re spending a large amount of time getting these people off the highway,” he said. “The sad thing is that this is a crime that is totally preventable. We have to have public cooperation. Citizens need to put peer pressure on each other to stop them from drinking and driving. People need to not try to get out of jury duty; they need to serve and convict these people. We also need to educate young drivers about drunk driving.”
While the campaign works to reduce the amount of drunk driving throughout the state during its two-week duration, Ashe said that it was just a small part of what officers do all year.
“Officers definitely hold more checkpoints during ‘Booze It and Lose It’ campaigns,” he said. “But it is important for N.C. drivers to know that drinking and driving is never the right decision. Our officers are out on the roads every night looking for dangerous drivers.”
Haywood County Sheriff Tom Alexander and Jackson County Commissioners’ Chairman Brian McMahan also participated in the ceremony.
|
