In the month of September, the Haines Borough Police Department has pulled over more than twice as many drivers as its monthly average of for the last six months.
Since April, monthly stops ranged from between six to eight in April, May and June, to about 11 in July and 18 in September.
“There is no directive to do this,” police chief Heath Scott said. “I chalk most of this up to the officers observing activities and reporting (them.)” He estimates that 80 to 90 percent of the stops are to ask residents to fix broken taillights or brake lights, or to slow down in a school zone.
Of the 238 total traffic stops since April, 37 resulted in citations, according to police data. Most citations were for expired registration, failure to carry proof of insurance, an unregistered vehicle, or negligent driving. The remaining 201 drivers were given warnings, a policing method Scott said gives the citizen an opportunity to self-correct.
Scott said he doesn’t have quotas for his officers to fulfill, and that all stops require a reasonable suspicion.
Also trending upward is the number of arrests for drunk drivers, though Scott said he doesn’t see a correlation between traffic stops and increased DUI arrests.
“We had three DUIs just this past weekend,” Scott said. “The intensity of the blood and alcohol is very high, three to four times the legal limit,” he said. “High enough that I’m concerned.”
Police data shows that the number of DUIs have increased annually the last three years. In 2016, there were 8; 14 in 2017; 16 in 2018. In the first nine months of 2019 there have been 14 DUI arrests, which doesn’t include what Scott called “heightened months” around Halloween and the holidays.
Scott said that while typically, traffic stops at certain times lead to more DUI arrests, the last four out of five arrests were reported by the public. One was officer initiated from a traffic stop.
Statistics don’t necessarily indicate more drunk drivers, but more manpower to enforce the law.
The police department gained a fifth officer in late 2017, which may have led to the upward trend in drunk driving arrests.
“With decreased officers you see less activity, with increased officers you see more activity but there’s truly not a lot changing in the environment,” Scott said.
The officer count will drop to four on Oct. 18, when Adam Patterson will serve his last day before relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Scott said he intends to fill the vacant position in December to give himself a “budget cushion.”
In the meantime, Scott posted a letter on Facebook requesting public support from the community to curb drunk driving.
“If you see someone about to drive that you believe is impaired and you don’t wish to intervene or are concerned for your safety, be a good witness,” he wrote. “Provide the vehicle make and model as well as a direction of travel to local law enforcement.”