January 3, 2012
More than sixty people will have their name and age placed on a website as being individuals who were arrested on DUI Charges over the New Years weekend in Tarrant County, Texas. According to NBCDFW 5 News, Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert says that Tarrant County is placing the names on the web for the whole world to see in an effort to deter people from driving drunk. He says if people believe their reputation could be effected if they are caught, they may be less likely to drink and drive.
Over the holiday weekend, extra officers from several different departments were on patrol to help deter and catch drunk drivers. Of the sixty individuals arrested on suspicion of DUI, thirty have been charged and had their names and ages listed on the site.
The holiday weekend was a “no refusal weekend,” which allowed officers to get warrants from judges very quickly to obtain breathe and blood samples from suspected drunk drivers who refuse to submit to testing.
Opponents to the “shaming” website say that listing names and ages will not, and has not, acted as a deterrent to drunk driving. They say in the six years the program has been around, there have consistently been 5,000 to 6,000 arrests in Tarrant County each year for DUI.
The Texas DUI victim attorneys with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel want to know if you think listing people’s names, ages, and possible mug shots would deter people form drinking and driving. Tell us what you think by posting to our Facebook page.