09.12.2009 5:05 am
DWI enforcement varies across the St. Louis region
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The public service ads tout the basic theme: You drink. You drive. You lose. But that’s often not the case in metro St. Louis. Lenient plea deals, secrecy laws and outright mistakes have allowed most DWI offenders — including many chronic offenders — to avoid serious punishment — in a system-wide breakdown that has claimed lives in Missouri and Illinois. Explore this map of the municipalities in St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles counties and see which cities have the best and worst enforcement records.
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Doesn’t it seem like it’s not good journalistic integrity to call things the “best” and “worst”. Why not give the reader the facts and let us decide.. Not that the PD has any integrity left, just one more example.
Just a guess: Cottleville has fewer persons driving through town while they are drunk. Your numbers mean absolutely nothing for comparison.
The problem is there basing it on arrest and stops. What about how many of the courts actually convict or make deals.
Great article! Thanks for the city by city breakdown on DWI arrests. I know a couple chronic offenders (3DWIs each) who have avoided punishment in the average areas on the map posted above. These ppl still drink & drive with no worries of being punished by law. Sad, very sad…..
Hmmm, counties who actually get residents to pay fines instead of serving jail time seem to prosecute more….interesting.
Best or worst?
Guess it depends on the criteria you are using…
To some of these places, its just a big revenue grab for them and the lawyers.
They aren’t really interested in removing offenders from the road, they are just in it for the money.
Why don’t we just lower the BAC to .00001. That will result in even more money collected.
Meanwhile the really dangerous drivers with much higher levels of intoxication continue to kill and maim innocent victims.
Totally off-subject, but did anyone notice the amount of full time officers for the cities of O’Fallon and St. Charles? Next to St. Louis proper, they have a pretty large force. What’s up with that? Why do these cities need over 100 full time police officers when others, like Florrisant only need 89?
Mixed media, indeed.
Of course they give out a ton in Cottleville. They either beat the crap out of you at Binfords or wait for you to leave and give you a DWI. Its an interesting system.
Could it be possible that the areas shaded it red (and tagged as the worst areas for DWI arrests) have actual criminals to deal with. You know real crime. I will say though, at least the tax dollars in St. Charles are being used to make money with the always profitable DWI enforcement. Bravo St. Chuck you don’t just have suburban teenagers to push around anymore. I guess you missed the director of the St. Charles County Ambulance Dept, but you can’t get them all especially when they are lawyers.