The Norman Police Department is using funding from a recent grant to increase its efforts to stop alcohol related crimes during the holiday season, according to a department press release.
The increased efforts will include alcohol checkpoints and increased patrols, the release stated.
“Numerous checkpoints scheduled for various locations around the city of Norman are intended as a highly visible program to discourage people who have been drinking from getting behind the wheel, and to deal with those who do make the poor decision to drive intoxicated,” the release stated.
The department received the grant in October, which is more than $100,000, as part of the statewide 2Much2Lose program from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office. 2Much2Lose was designed to deter people from committing alcohol related crimes.
The program is aimed at deterring people, especially young people, from abusing alcohol. According to the program’s Web site, people younger than 25 years old account for more than 50 percent of alcoholics in the U.S.
The increased efforts are related to the holiday season, when many people are traveling and celebrating.
“With the holiday season closing in, we must pay even closer attention to our motoring public and our friends in Norman,” Norman Police Department Lt. Todd Gibson said in the release. Gibson coordinates the department’s 2Much2Lose program.
During the last two weeks of August, the department conducted sobriety checkpoints because more people were traveling and partying close to Labor Day weekend. Those checkpoints were a part of a national campaign called “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit, Under Arrest.”
“The deadly risks and costly consequences of driving while impaired are far too serious,” Gibson said in the release. “We want the great citizens of Norman and the State of Oklahoma to have a safe and enjoyable holiday season. No one wants to have holidays marked by the tragedy of losing a loved one to a drinking and driving incident.”
The funding from the grant for the 2Much2Lose program will last through September.
Part of the money from the grant was set aside for funding compliance checks designed to ensure that Norman businesses are not selling alcohol to people younger than 21.
According to police reports, seven people were cited for furnishing alcohol on Thursday. It is unclear whether this relatively high number of furnishing alcohol citations was related to the program.
“Officers involved in the increased enforcement efforts will have zero tolerance for those found driving while intoxicated, the release stated.
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jfreezy 3 years, 5 months ago
this is bullcrap and a waste of tax money
aaearon 3 years, 5 months ago
I feel like I've read this article before...
Gnots 3 years, 5 months ago
2 Much 2 Lose?
How bout the lopsided fine system... anyone with a low budget gets a kick to the face while the wealthy get a slap on the wrist. Yeah... don't break the law in the first place... but find a way to correct the system atleast.