Cities in Barrow County Georgia See an Increase of DUI Arrests

The Barrow County city of Statham, Georgia has reported a significant increase in DUI arrests compared to last year.

DUI arrests for the town have skyrocketed from 13 last year to a whopping 54 for this year; making it an increase of 415%.

Traffic violations typically increase during the warmer months of the year and of course, during the holidays.  However, Statham Police Chief Allan Johnston believes this number is also higher due to an increase in staff, a heightened presence near Georgia 316 and Atlanta Highway, and specialized officer training.

The police department now has seven officers including Chief Johnston.  Last year, the department did not have enough employees to police Highway 316, and, therefore, it went unchecked and unpatrolled.

Earlier in the year, the officers participated in Standardized Field Sobriety training, and in August, took a more in-detail class called Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), at Gwinnett County Public Training Center.

The ARIDE course is more intensive and takes 24 hours to complete.

Chief Johnston says that he will have officers trained to be DREs or Drug Recognition Experts in the near future.  The course for that certification is a three-phase training program that requires over 120 hours of instruction and field certification.

Earlier this year, our office did a blog on increased DUI arrests in Barrow County; in the city of Winder particularly.  It was reported that a DUI arrests in the city had doubled since 2012.  Increased DUI enforcement along with increased enforcement of all traffic laws was credited to the additional arrests.

Traffic tickets may be used to raise revenue by annexing small parts of Georgia highways so law enforcement may write more tickets.  This usually means the people that get tickets are typically out-of-state and out-of-county drivers, thus keeping local citizens from getting angry about being seemingly targeted.  Also, non-local drivers most of the time prefer to pay their citations by mail, so they do not have to come back to attend court.  If not, they can always call a law firm with top-rated Barrow County DUI Lawyers who have enough experience and skill to represent them.

For citations that cannot be taken care of by mail, hiring a Barrow County DUI Attorney to represent them in court be smart and more convenient.  That means they would not have to rearrange their lives to come back and appear in the local court.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Barrow County and need the legal expertise of a Barrow County DUI Lawyer, contact the Law Offices of Richard Lawson for a free consultation with a competent DUI attorney.  Our Barrow County DUI Attorneys will take the time to discuss the details of your case so you can make an informed decision.  Do not delay.   Waiting to hire an attorney will not make things better, and the sooner we get started on your defense, the better.  Your very best defense begins HERE.