Troy-Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino reported the results of the County’s recent enforcement and the Safe Ride Home operations that coincided with the New Year Holiday.   In addition to the Sheriff’s Department and the State Police, Police Departments including those from the cities of Rensselaer and Troy as well as departments from the towns of North and East Greenbush, Schodack, Nassau, and the Village of Hoosick Falls participated by increasing patrols and orchestrating checkpoints targeting traffic safety.  The results of the enforcement operation included 14 arrests for DWI (Driving While Intoxicated while indicating a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher).  Additional arrests were also made including four for drug possession, seventeen for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, one of which was a felony and two hundred tickets were issued for various vehicle and traffic violations.  Thirty-three Designated Drivers were also identified as part of the operation that checked approximately 800 vehicles.

In conjunction with the increased enforcement the County also provided free transportation to their homes for New Years celebrants between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. The program relied on the use of 3 County owned vehicles driven and dispatched by volunteers from various county agencies and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and staffed with Sheriffs Deputies.  Fifty individuals took advantage of this year’s Safe Ride Program.

“I want to thank all of those who celebrated the start of the New Year in a responsible fashion and I urge all residents to continue that effort to help prevent the tragedies that can occur when someone drives drunk,” said Jimino.

Sheriff Jack Mahar said, “Driving drunk is never safe and never appropriate and we will continue to patrol our streets to ensure those who choose to drive drunk are held accountable for their actions.”

-30-