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Dallas police may subject DWI suspects to blood tests during Memorial Day, July 4 weekends
06:11 PM CDT on Monday, May 19, 2008
Dallas police officers will seek search warrants to draw blood from suspected drunk drivers who refuse to take a breathalyzer or give blood voluntarily during two upcoming holiday weekends, officials said Monday.
The first "no refusal" initiative in Dallas is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday and run through the Memorial Day weekend, until 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, police said. The second will occur during the July 4 holiday weekend.
Police will follow the same procedures they normally do in suspected drunk driving cases. But if a suspect who is arrested on suspicion of drunk driving does not voluntarily submit to a breathalyzer or blood test, officers will ask a county judge to immediately approve a search warrant to draw blood, police said.
The effort follows similar ones in surrounding cities, including Fort Worth, Arlington, Richardson and Plano. Some police departments have made the practice permanent, though Dallas police say they will first see how the upcoming holiday initiatives work before deciding whether to continue it.
Deputy Chief Tom Lawrence said the effort is "the next step in what we are ultimately trying to achieve when we make an arrest for driving while intoxicated. That is the successful prosecution of these cases."
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