Fourth of July fallout fairly minimal
OLYMPIA — State troopers made fewer DUI arrests in Clark County this Fourth of July weekend than they did during the same four-day stretch last year.
Between July 1 and Independence Day, troopers arrested 15 people in the county for driving under the influence of alcohol. In comparison, there were 22 DUI arrests in Clark County during the same time frame in 2010.
Meanwhile, the statewide DUI count for the holiday weekend rose from 309 in 2010 to 345 this year.
Trooper Ryan Tanner of the Washington State Patrol’s Vancouver detachment said he suspects tougher enforcement throughout the state led to the increase in arrests.
“History kind of tells us when and where we need to be patrolling,” he said.
The WSP had its patrols out in full force throughout Clark County on July 4, with six troopers working the day shift and 16 on night shifts.
“For Monday, we had everybody working,” Tanner said.
They made three DUI arrests that night.
“(But) the busiest day we had was Saturday night,” Tanner said.
Seven troopers worked the night shift on July 2, when they made four DUI arrests throughout the county.
The county had help from three enhanced DUI patrol shifts, funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, throughout the weekend.
