The Washington State Patrol is hosting a county wide DUI emphasis in Pierce County on “Black Friday,” the number one shopping day of the year, in order to get drunk drivers off the road and keep motorists safe.

Starting at 9 p.m. Friday Law enforcement agencies from Pierce County will take part in an all county DUI emphasis.

The emphasis is dedicated to Kelsey Parrott who was killed by a drunk driver in April as she was walking down the shoulder of 15th Avenue in Milton with her friend. Officers will hand out informational cards during traffic stops in memory of Kelsey.

Bill Sullivan of Liberty Towing, a DUI Task Force Member, will be present at the briefing to kick-off the annual “Tow to Go” program he coordinates with 16 Pierce County towers. Bill and other fellow towers volunteer to provide a tow to intoxicated persons. The program is designed to give a ride to those who don’t have a sober ride home from bars. The bartender will call one of the participating tow companies and they will give the intoxicated person a tow home.

WSP’s Mobile Impaired Driving Unit will be parked at the state Route 512 and South Tacoma Way Park-n-Ride during the emphasis. The MIDU is a self contained 36-foot motor home equipped with three breath test instruments and two holding cells. The vehicle was designed to process impaired drivers in a faster manner, with the intended result to get patrol officers back on the road in minutes while an assigned officer processes an alleged offender. With the MIDU in place, WSP claims officers are able to get twice as many impaired drivers off the roadway during a shift.

WSP’s aviation section will also have its DUI Aerial Response Team deployed to assist in spotting and arresting potential offenders, if weather allowed.