KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - This Halloween weekend police agencies from around Puget Sound will haunt area roads, searching for impaired and other dangerous drivers. Public Health - Seattle & King County and the King County Traffic Safety Coalition organized patrols in King County.

“This Halloween, in addition to witches and ghosts, expect to see dozens of uniformed women and men working overtime to keep King County’s roadways safe,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.

During Halloween patrols in 2004, officers caught 45 people driving under the influence (DUI) in King County. Another 79 impaired drivers were caught last year in Halloween patrols in other Puget Sound counties.

“Driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver is illegal and very risky,” said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director for Public Health - Seattle & King County. “Find a non-drinking driver to ride with before heading out to the bars and clubs this Halloween."

Police officers, Sheriff’s deputies, and State Troopers will saturate King County roadways this weekend. In addition to patrolling interstates, Highway 99, and Seattle streets, extra officers will also look for alcohol and drug impaired drivers on the back roads of King County and the quiet streets of area cities.

“Getting arrested for DUI is expensive, time consuming, and embarrassing,” said King County Sheriff Sue Rahr. “The consequences of drinking, driving, and crashing can be even worse, such as a lifetime of disability or living with the fact that you disfigured or killed someone’s beloved family member.”

In King County, officers from Auburn, Black Diamond, Burien, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Kent, Maple Valley, Muckleshoot, Normandy Park, Renton, Sammamish, Seattle, Sea-Tac, Shoreline, and Tukwila will have extra patrols over Halloween. The Washington Liquor Control Board, the Washington State Patrol and the Eastside DUI Task Force have also organized extra Halloween patrols.

In addition to King County, “Surround the Sound” emphasis patrols will take place in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Jefferson, and Clallam counties. These patrols are coordinated by local DUI/Traffic Safety Task Forces and supported by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

The King County Traffic Safety Coalition is chaired and staffed by Public Health - Seattle & King County. Members include representatives from a variety of King County law enforcement agencies, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, alcohol/drug prevention organizations, DUI victims’ groups, traffic engineers, non-profit organizations and others. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission provides funding for the Coalition and other King County traffic safety activities.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is among the largest metropolitan health departments in the country, providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services that achieve and sustain safer and healthier communities for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County . Answering the needs of an increasingly diverse population, Public Health - Seattle & King County touches people's lives every day through health promotion and prevention activities, disease surveillance, health care, outreach and referral services, environmental health services, emergency medical care, jail health services, and readiness and response to public health emergencies.

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