If there was any question which police department continues to bring in the most suspected DWI drivers in the Louisiana area, the state Highway Safety Commission confirmed that Lafourche has lead the ranks again.
The Laforche Sheriff's Office arrested 297 suspected DWI drivers last year, which is more than twice the amount posted by the second-place department. Laforche falls into the category of cities with 50,000 to 99,999 thousand drivers. The reason for the large disparity in numbers? Department philosophy according to officials speaking to Houma Today.
The philosophy in Laforche is more focused on DWI arrests. Each officer is asked to make at least one arrest for DWI in a given year, but most make many more arrests than that. The area's lead DWI officer arrested 53 drivers last year.
The higher numbers are also attributed to data policing, a controversial tactic of concentrating officers in areas where arrests have historically been high for this type of activity. This practice is controversial because it often places more officers in areas where minority drivers are present, leading many to question the true goals of the programs.
There has been some criticism of giving "DWI awards" on an annual basis from individuals who believe it leads officers to make arrests without much evidence. In fact, some have questioned whether officers have a DWI/DUI quota in some high arrest areas. This could lead officers to arrest individuals even if they believe there will be no conviction down the line.
Even without a conviction, though, a DWI arrest can be damaging. Most individuals arrested for DWI will lose their driving privileges for at least a short period of time. The cost of fighting a DWI can also be burdensome, though it tends to be lower than the cost of not fighting a DWI arrest.
For its part, the Laforche department says a federal grant for a new computer program that tracks DWI arrests and provides them with information for a data-driven approach has been a huge contributor to their increased success with locating possible DWI drivers.
Neighboring police departments also point out that State Police have a larger presence in their areas, handling most of the DWI arrests. There are fewer State Troopers in Laforche, a city located on the south east side of the state due west of New Orleans. With a lack of State Police in the area, local officers are called on to make the vast majority of traffic stops.
