The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and its safety partners today recognized the Erie County DUI Task Force for its continued efforts to keep impaired drivers off area roadways.
“Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be a matter of life and death. Coupled with educational outreach, the enforcement initiatives led by the task force are critical to achieving the mission of reducing impaired driving crashes and fatalities on our roadways,” said Pennsylvania DUI Association Regional Program Administrator Maggie Nunley.
The Erie County DUI Task Force is partially funded through PennDOT’s Police Traffic Services (PTS) Enforcement Grant, which is designed to facilitate coordination of local police assets in impaired driving, occupant protection, aggressive driving, and pedestrian safety enforcement countermeasures. The program covers costs such as officer overtime, equipment purchases, and associated trainings.
The PTS grant is part of PennDOT’s statewide distribution of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Erie County DUI task force is comprised of the following law enforcement agencies: the City of Erie Police Department, Millcreek Township Police Department, Edinboro Police Department, Lawrence Park Police Department, Girard Police Department, Lake City Police Department, North East Police Department, Wesleyville Police Department, Union City Police Department, PennWest University – Edinboro Police Department, Erie County Detective Bureau, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
In 2023, the task force reported 1,005 total DUI arrests in Erie County, which was an increase from 1,002 in 2022 and 937 in 2021. Of the 3,102 criminal offenses prosecuted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office in 2023, nearly a third (32.4%) were DUI charges.
“We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish with all of our law enforcement partners, but there is obviously still a lot of work to do because we continue to see the unnecessary loss of life as the result of impaired driving,” said Erie County Chief Detective Mark Schau[KJ1] . “I’m confident we are moving in the right direction because the task force is comprised of people who are passionate about safety and take the responsibility of saving lives seriously.”
City of Erie Police Department Patrolman Jeffrey Parker, who made the second most DUI arrests in Pennsylvania last year, was recognized for his excellence in enforcement in November at the PA DUI Association’s 45th Annual Meeting and Training Conference.
Parker was one of 38 municipal law enforcement officers presented with a DUI Top Gun Award.
“It’s an honor to receive an award of this significance, but it is not what motivates me to do this type of work,” Parker said. “I’ve seen the tragic outcomes impaired driving can create and I want to do all I can to prevent families from having to experience it.”
PennDOT data shows there were 9,852 crashes in Pennsylvania in 2023 due to impaired driving, resulting in 436 fatalities. In Erie County alone, there were 224 crashes and 12 fatalities.
The task force will be conducting roving patrols in connection with the upcoming Super Bowl Impaired Driving Enforcement Wave, which runs from February 6 to 10, 2025.
“If you try to wait to arrange for a sober ride home after you have started drinking, your judgement may already be impaired. Be proactive and make a plan ahead of time,” said AAA East Central Director of Public Affairs Jim Garrity. “There is no shortage of options available with ride sharing services and public transportation. Safety is a shared responsibility, and everyone should remain vigilant and not allow their family and friends to put themselves or others in danger by getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtags #BeSafePA #DriveSober #DontDrinkAndDrive #DesignatedDriver #BuzzedDriving #SuperBowlSafety.
More information on impaired driving can be found at www.penndot.pa.gov/safety.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Saxon Daugherty, sadaughert@pa.gov or 814-678-7095
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