NCJ Number
138370
Journal
Alcohol, Drugs and Driving Volume: 7 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (July-December 1991) Pages: 221-228
Date Published
1991
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper examines factors that influence a police department's approach to driving while intoxicated (DWI) enforcement.
Abstract
The analysis is based on a number of research studies and sources, including the Uniform Crime Report, the Fatal Accident Reporting System, the Municipal Year Book, and the Statistical Abstract of the United States. Data indicate that the mean number of DWI arrests per police officer increased from 1.7 in 1966 to 3.3 in 1989. A city's fatal accident rate had a weak effect on DWI arrests, but a city's serious crime rate had a strong negative effect on such arrests. Per capita police expenditures also had a strong negative effect on DWI arrests, while police chief membership in the Police Executive Research Forum had a beneficial effect. The findings confirm the notion that police administrators can influence the conduct of individual police officers and that police departments can increase the number of DWI arrests if they offer the right incentives. Models of police DWI resource allocation are described. 20 references and 2 tables