Montgomery County's holiday alcohol task force focuses on finding, arresting impaired drivers

A task force in Montgomery County aiming to reduce impaired driving is in full swing.

The night before Thanksgiving is considered one of the busiest and most dangerous nights on the roadways due to impaired drivers, according to Montgomery County Police Dept. public information officer Carlos Cortes.

"We want the community to know we’re going to be out there looking for impaired drivers, and we ask them that if they plan to drink, to please plan for a sober ride home. Use a rideshare, taxi, or a family member or loved one to be your designated driver," Cortes said.

The holiday task force consists of officers from Montgomery County, as well as other allied agencies. Their goal is to raise awareness of the impacts of impaired driving and identify drivers who may be impaired on the roadways. Video captured by the department, and posted on social media, shows what officers experience in the field and what sobriety checkpoints entail.

"In Montgomery County, we focus and give a lot of attention to impaired driving enforcement because we have more fatal collisions a year than we have homicides," Cortes said.

The task force operates from early to mid-November through New Year’s. 

Last year, the task force made more than 280 arrests related to impaired driving.

According to Capt. Warren Jensen with the Montgomery County Police Dept., impaired driving was a factor in 23% of fatal crashes in the county in 2022.