The number of DUI arrests made in Philadelphia has increased this year as a result of increased vigilance by the city's police department.
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Philadelphia Police Department's Accident Investigation Division reports that DUI arrests this year have increased by more than 700 since the same time last year.
Sergeant Albert Gramlich of the Accident Investigation Unit said the number of arrests has increased because the police department has made a greater effort this year to catch people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Among the police department's methods for apprehending drunk drivers are using a roving patrol and setting up DUI checkpoints throughout the city.
This year, there have been regular checkpoints on the weekends. In previous years, the checkpoints were set up less regularly because of inclement weather.
At the checkpoints, officers stop everyone who goes through, hand out educational pamphlets and make arrests when appropriate.
"The education and enforcement programs are helping us," Gramlich said. He added that he hopes that someone caught driving under the influence at one of the checkpoints will "learn the error of their ways" after being exposed to the penal system and will not make the same mistake again.
Bonnie Weiner, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Southeast Pennsylvania Affiliate, said MADD works with police and tries to attend the checkpoints.
She added that the police are "the first line of defense."
MADD also provides literature to the police and donates crash scene templates in order to help the police better deal with impaired drivers, Weiner said.
