Wasilla the hot spot for DUIs

MAT-SU — New Year’s Eve celebrations are over, but some Valley residents are still feeling the ill effects of champagne toasts and holiday spirits.

Valley police and Alaska State Troopers were patrolling the streets over the extended holiday weekend with watchful eyes focused on impaired drivers. Beginning Dec. 28 and ending Jan. 1, about 29 people were arrested locally for driving under the influence. The arrest area stretches from Talkeetna to Palmer.

With 22 of those arrests, the Wasilla area was the hot spot for DUI stops this year between the Wasilla Police Department and Alaska State Troopers. The Wasilla Police Department made seven DUI arrests over the five days, Officer Jentry Crain said. Four of the arrests were made Jan. 1. This year’s total is nearly double that of the New Year’s holiday last year when there were four DUI arrests.

Crain said it’s difficult to know why there were more arrests this year, but he noticed one major difference — overall, more people were on the roads over the New Year’s holiday.

“The previous year by 1 a.m. Wasilla was a ghost town,” Crain said.

Although local police made some DUI arrests, reports show the majority of arrests were made by troopers. Preliminary numbers show 19 DUI arrests were made by troopers in the Valley from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1. On Dec. 30, troopers made seven DUI arrests. New Year’s Day was a close second with six arrests. Of those 19 trooper arrests, 16 were issued in Wasilla. The other three were divided between Talkeetna, Willow and Houston.

Megan Peters, department of public safety information officer, said she can’t nail down why so many of this season’s DUIs were issued in Wasilla, but it is a city where enforcement is strong.

“I don’t really think it’s a coincidence that we have our DUI Enforcement Team based in the Valley and Fairbanks,” Peters said.

The Mat-Su division of the DUI Enforcement Team was created in 2003, Peters said. The five-member team, which includes four troopers and one sergeant, is trained to recognize the signs of impaired driving. The Fairbanks team was established about six months ago and includes two troopers and a sergeant. Along with the DUI Enforcement team, troopers and the Alaska Highway Safety Office have an aggressive anti-DUI advertising campaign, she said.

In Houston, the streets were relatively calm and DUI arrests were limited, said Capt. John Rhyshek of the Houston Police Department. From Friday to Tuesday, the department made one DUI arrest, which also included an additional charge of refusal to submit to a chemical test. The department investigated three other possible DUI cases, but it was determined those individuals were under the legal limit.

Rhyshek wasn’t surprised to make only a single DUI arrest because the number of DUI incidents in Houston has been on the decline for at least four years.

“I’ve been out here for four years and when I first got here I was making two to three DUI arrests a week,” he said. “Now we’re making two to three a month.”

As the numbers of New Year’s DUIs seem to be decreasing in Houston and increasing in Wasilla, Palmer had a typical holiday period for DUI enforcement.

“I would say, historically, it’s not a large problem in Palmer,” said Lt. Tom Remaley of the Palmer Police Department. The Palmer PD issued two DUIs from Friday to Tuesday, with both citations coming Jan. 1.

Remaley said the minimal amount of DUIs in Palmer may be related to a few factors. First, most residents realize officers keep a close watch for intoxicated drivers during New Year celebrations. Second, the state’s advertising campaign helps remind residents of the consequences that come with impaired driving.

Overall, Remaley said many Palmer residents act responsibly, usually planning ahead to minimize incidents. Instead of heading off to the bar or party on a whim, partygoers seem to plan on taking a cab, securing a designated driver or spending the night, he said.