Funding Opportunity - Law Enforcement Agencies Wanted to Pilot 24/7 DUI Monitoring
Note – Deadline is September 15, 2013
As you may be aware, the legislature addressed a number of issues related to DUI in E2SSB 5912 during the 2013 session. One of these additions made to our DUI laws included a 24/7 DUI Monitoring Program. In essence, this program will require repeat offender DUIs to be held in custody until seen by a judge. In most cases, the judge will require, as a condition of release on bond, that the defendant have an ignition interlock installed in their vehicle, enter alcohol/drug treatment, and be placed on a 24/7 DUI monitoring program that requires at least twice daily alcohol testing.
Under the 24/7 program, participants provide blood, breath, urine or other bodily substance tests in order to determine the presence of alcohol, marijuana or any controlled substance in the participants’ body.
The goal of the program is to reduce DUI recidivism by ensuring that 24/7 program participants do not drink alcohol, use marijuana or use controlled substances when ordered by the court, and if participants do, they are held accountable.
The program name—24/7 Monitoring Program—refers to the monitoring of participants twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Initially, the program will be set up as described in statute below;
- Pilot project sites shall be established in no more than three counties and two cities. Local jurisdictions outside of the pilot project sites are encouraged to establish a 24/7 sobriety program as soon as practicable.
- The Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs must, to the greatest extent possible, select pilot project sites from diverse geographic areas. The cities selected for participation in the project must not be from within a county selected for the program.
- The Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs shall develop criteria for participation in the 24/7 sobriety program pilot project including, but not limited to:
- Geographic diversity;
- Sufficient volume of eligible participants to provide useable data for the pilot;
- County or city commitment to administration of the program; and
- Capability of the county or city law enforcement agency to effectively accommodate and administer the program.
The 24/7 program originated in South Dakota and has had exceptional results in lowering the number of repeat DUI offenders. Although Washington’s program will be a bit different than South Dakota’s, it offers one of the best chances in years to make a very direct impact on repeat DUI offenders and to help reduce the injuries and death that we have seen year after year. There will be some growing pains as we roll this program out; however, we have a strong commitment from the legislators who pushed this bill, and from the Governor’s Office, to make this work.
We have a relatively short time frame to get the pilot program in place and prepare a status report to the legislature for the 2014 session. If you would like your agency to participate in the pilot, please email Bruce Bjork, WASPC 24/7 DUI Monitoring Program Manager at bbjork@waspc.org<mailto:bbjork@waspc.org> by September 15th of your interest. Bruce will put a WASPC task group together from members of WASPC, WAPA, WTSC, and possibly others, to select the pilot agencies. Policies/procedures, reporting processes, software, etc. will also need to be developed as we progress in the program development. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Bruce.
For more information, contact:
Bruce Bjork, Program Manager
24/7 DUI Monitoring Program
WA Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs
3060 Willamette Dr. NE #200
Lacey, WA 98516
Main: 360-486-2380 Direct: 360-486-2401: Fax 360-486-2381
Email: bbjork@waspc.org<mailto:bbjork@waspc.org> Web: www.waspc.org<http://www.waspc.org/>
