Emphasis nabs 13 on 13th

Published 3:46 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Dennis Box, The Courier-Herald

A Feb. 13 emphasis patrol by law enforcement officers nabbed 13 impaired drivers in the Bonney Lake, Buckley and Sumner area. The DUI (driving under the influence) emphasis patrol is a monthly program that centers on a single area searching for drunk or drugged drivers.

"It's always good for people to see all the officers," Bonney Lake Police Chief Bryan Jeter said. "Drunk drivers are a serious issue and this gives us 32 extra officers to work traffic."

Along with the 13 cited drivers, an additional eight drivers were arrested for other traffic offenses. A total of 38 traffic infractions were written. One convenience store was cited for selling alcohol to a minor, and one bar was cited for serving a person too much alcohol.

Law enforcement officers participated from the Bonney Lake, Buckley, Fife, Lakewood, Puyallup, Roy, Ruston, Sumner, Tacoma and University Place police departments. They were joined by deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, troopers from the Washington State Patrol and officers from the state Liquor Control Board. Fort Lewis Military Police and McChord Air Force Base Security Forces participated simultaneously on their respective installations.

The monthly patrols are coordinated by the Tacoma/Pierce County DUI Task Force and supported by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

This emphasis patrol was dedicated to Clayton Hosler, who was fatally injured when his motorcycle was struck by a drunk driver in 1988 in Tacoma.