Efficiency increased with WSP's Impaired Driving Unit
VANCOUVER, Wash. - The annual crackdown on impaired drivers was in full swing Friday night, but this year's different now with marijuana legal in Washington.
People suspected of driving drunk were brought to the Washington State Patrol's mobile command center that was parked in Vancouver to take a Breathalyzer test. But those suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana or other drugs were taken to the hospital for a blood test to determine the presence of drugs or THC.
One man suspected of drunken driving was brought to WSP's Impaired Driving Unit by a Clark County sheriff’s deputy. The man refused to blow into one of the three Breathalyzers inside the state’s only mobile command post designated solely to DUI stings.
It's in Vancouver this weekend as city, county and state sobriety patrols look for drivers leaving local bars and holiday parties under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
"The officers out there will make the arrest. They'll bring the suspect in, and they drop them off to us," said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Mark Crandall.
That lets the dozen or so DUI-only patrol cars on the streets to go right back out and look for more drivers under the influence.
Inside the IDU, WSP specialists use those Breathalyzers to test drivers for blood-alcohol content.
Even though pulling over drivers who smoked up is nothing new, sobriety patrols wonder what it will be like now that anyone over 21 can smoke pot legally in Washington.
"We really don't know," Crandall said. "We don't know what communities are going to do to absorb the use of the drug. We don't know what the feds are going to do. We just don't know."
The DUI specialists may also find themselves asking new questions of suspect drivers, not just "How much have you had to drink tonight?"
"Now you might hear one more: 'What have you had to smoke?'" Crandall said.
And those warnings of "Call a cab if you have been drinking" may also have to share the road with "Take a taxi if you've toked."
Used to call them Booze Buses, now they'll be Booze & Bong Buses. They could submit a series of tests for THC induced people but they're not making Twinkies anymore!
I think it's funny the "Impaired Driving Unit" is a converted motor home.
@browntown Yeah, why do they need an awning? Are they going to have BBQs while busting drunks?
 @MickRoh  @browntown ~  Well, the motorhome probably came with the awning already on it...  Anyway, cops have to eat, too... maybe these cops are more into BBQ than donuts..!   :-)
@margay1 @browntown HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Reading some of the posts here, it occurs to me (certainly not for the first time), that if people behaved responsibly and didn't insist on driving drunk and/or high, we wouldn't NEED things like this IDU that WA has... AND our police officers could spend their time doing things that might help us make us safer. Â Â The only reason they spend so much time / money on DUIIs is because some people insist on being stupid and put the rest of us at risk on the roads and highways.
@margay1 I agree. DUII is a horrific crime! Yes, you may have done it hundreds of times successfully but it takes only once to kill someone's fiancee..... When I go out for supper I don't have any alcohol with my supper if I am the driver.(and I love a whiskey and soda with a good steak) The police have a very hard time being able to cover all the calls they get plus that is made worse by the fools who believes that they can drive with a six pack in their system.(probably will be texting too) Just imagine, while you are being busted for DUII a burglar is pawing through your house and the cop that is busting you would normally being patrolling your street at that time. This would be righteous irony! Â
 @MickRoh  @margay1 ~  As serious as this topic is, I had to laugh at your comments in re the DUII and the burglar..!   Wouldn't it be great Karma if the DUII driver got busted, then released, and went home only to find that his house had gotten cleaned out while he was drying out overnight in jail???  :-)
@margay1 YES! Yes it would! Even though I hate thieves as well.....
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 @MickRoh  @margay1 All that you said in your comment is so true...  What happened to your first fiancee is a heart-breaking story, even this many years later, those losses can remain with us, even though we grieve and then move on with out lives.    It is also a story that is repeated all too often in this country...we have never dealt appropriately with DUIIs, and I don't think we are doing so even now...  Â
@margay1 Thank-you for your kind words! I do have to say that even though losing Kim hurts me still at times, if it didn't happen I would not have my best friend and my beautiful daughter. My wife and I split up back in 1994 but that is why she is now my best friend! My daughter is 27 and doing great! Again thank-you for the kind words.
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As much as I would love to express them, I will keep my ideas on what should be done with DUII's to myself..... I have had several DUII's hurt me in various ways through out my life. Then my mom died from complications caused by advanced acoholism..... Yes, she provided some of those mentioned hurts.....
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I am hoping/praying that no one gets into a DUII caused wreck this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!
 @MickRoh  @margay1 ~  Mick, I don't think there's a "time limit" on grieving for a lost loved one, and that may even be more true when that loss happens as the result of sudden, violent death, such as what happened to your Kim.  Even though you go on with your life, with new relationships, there's a part of you that will probably always hurt because of her loss.  It is good that you did not allow that loss to prevent you from loving someone else later on, and having a daughter.  It sounds like you're a good man with a good family. Â
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In re punishments for DUII drivers' yes, I would have a problem being rational about that, too. Â Â I just go "rabid" when I hear / read stories about these people that end up killing other people in horrendous crashes - and you find out that this driver is driving on a revoked license because he/she has a history of MULTIPLE DUIIs. Â Â Revoking their license doesn't stop them; impounding their cars doesn't stop them (they borrow or steal another one)... so the only answer left is to lock them up - PERMANENTLY. Â Â I think the 1st offense should offer diversion (if no crash involved), plus a stiff fine. Â Â The 2nd should get some serious jail time + fine + loss of license for several years. Â Third one is "strike 3" and they're out for good. Â Just my take on it...Â
@margay1 I deleted my first draft of the comment you were agreeing with as I saw a few too many typos..... (pride) Then I got to thinking I was venting a lot of pent up hurt. Even though I had married a wonderful person later and we raised a daughter whom I am so proud of, I still hurt over Kim..... On our planned date we would have been together 15 years already. We were best buds for as long as I could remember. But I now also see that if I tell the story more often, it may just save my daughter's life by stopping a person from DUII! I can't take part in choosing a punishment for DUII. I would be merciless and extremely harsh!
@margay1 Including POLICE officers like the Bellevue cops recently in Seattle who drove home drunk after being ejected from the Seahawk game.
 @scared_citizen  @margay1 ~  Did they really..???  Well,. that's even worse; they are police officers - they have even LESS reason than anyone else for doing stupid stuff like that..!  Â
 @scared_citizen  @margay1 ~  Thanks for the link to the story, citizen..!   I had not read about that incident before now... There's no excuse for ANYONE behaving that way, but even less for an LEO.   (Doesn't sound like Hanke's wife was much better, either...)
@margay1 Below is a link to the story. http://redmond.patch.com/articles/report-off-duty-redmond-cop-was-ready-to-intervene-at-seahawks-game
Wow look at that shiny police state parasite bus...the occupying army of armed terrorists sure know how to make money.How long are the people going to accept the opression this country is oozing.
I truly think the police are being completely paranoid or stating a "worse case" scenario as they normally do for funding reasons. I don't think the numbers will increase of people that smoke pot, they'll just stop doing it in secret. All the other laws governing it's use are still in place so common sense says there will be very little change. They've got job security to think of! None of the businesses I know of that forbid it's use before the new law have changed their policies and according to state law they can still forbid it's use by their employees as a work safety issue, just as they do with alcohol and certain prescribed medications. Then there is a simple little principle I touched on earlier, people that are going to smoke pot now that it's legal most likely already do smoke pot. But the police want new toys. The amount of money they waste on equipment they honestly will never "NEED" could be used to hire many more well trained officers, which is the biggest problem they really have, not enough officers. My precinct in SE Portland only has two patrol cars on the week-ends and at night during the week. I may see a patrol car go down my street twice a month. I am retired and disabled so I am here all day, every day.....
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Besides, isn't the world supposed to end in 13 days? HA HA HA HA HA
@MickRoh "only has two patrol cars on the week-ends" Yea and they spend all thier time preying on drivers,parasiting the funds they seek off of the public.
@FrankCastle I'm at a loss by your comment. Are you saying they are wrongfully pulling drivers over and issuing citations for offenses they did not commit? The "two patrol car" number was given by one of the sergeants from the precinct at a neighborhood awareness meeting. And here lately they have been busy with gang shootings, hit and runs, robberies and a whole host of other violent crimes. But, they are "parasiting"? I'm talking the $500,000 toy to bust drunk drivers which could have put 10 more officers on the streets for a whole year who would go after more than just drunk drivers. Or are drunk drivers the only criminals worth arresting? And why do they need a command center for drunk drivers when there is a hand held breathalizer available that each officer could carry? They could then run those that fail to the station and drop them off so an officer there can book them. This is using their resources more efficiently. I am also estimating that a first year officer will make $50,000, also the price of that command center is most likely a lot more than $500,000! A recreational motor home that size is $500,000. Put in all the necessary police equipment such as a station size breathalizer, a holding cell for say 6 people, required safety equipment to use said holding cell while transporting, computers and internet access for police data-base, radio and GPS locators and some things for the officers to enjoy when on break. I never begrudge the police needed equipment! I just don't like them always wanting these ungodly expensive toys when their budgets are already threatened.
If they ask me what or how much I've smoked, I can honestly say, "Not a thing, officer!" Â When I *do* use cannabis I vaporize it, I don't smoke anything, ever. Â But then, I don't drive when under the influence of anything, either.
 @Gravity Works!Â
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From what I understand; vaporizing releases fewer of the trace elements sought by the tests. In other words; the tests check for elements released from the combustion of other plant materials rather than the actual active elements.
Of course prior to this law no one would ever smoke and drive. This is a created problem for revenue generation and an excuse to add to the growing police state. Quite the "Urban Assault Vehicle" all paid for by those who pay taxes.
Possession of marijuana is now legal, at least as far as the state is concerned. Driving under the influence of marijuana is not....some people are going to need to learn this the hard way. Some people will never learn this.
 @al_02 Really.. ? I don't smoke the stuff, just puts me to sleep.. But since it stays in your system for 30 days, how do they test for this while driving ?
 @dougrpdxI am not an expert, but I suspect they will do it the same as with alcohol. There will be a limit of THC in your blood. If you test over the limit, you are intoxicated- no matter when or how you got the dose.
Bingo $$$$$$$$$$
 @yaquina Hi, Yaquina. I do believe you nailed it. How's the weather there? Heading that way in the morn.
 @Lips NOAA weather report says cloudy on Sat with a 20% chance of rain and Sunday cloudy with a 40% chance of rain. It is kinda drizzly this morning with patches of fog. My gut feeling is that the day will not be too wet.