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Project
Characteristics |
Innovative
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Program
Areas |
| Traffic
Records |
Type
of Jurisdiction |
| State |
Targeted
Population |
| Impaired
Drivers within the Population |
Jurisdiction
Size |
| 4,919,479 |
Funding |
| Minnesota
410 Alcohol Grant: $50,000 |
Contact |
Don
Marose
Minnesota State Patrol
444 Cedar Street, Suite 130
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 297-7132
don.marose@state.mn.us
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Digest
Listing
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MINNESOTA
DWI Forms Packet
PDF
Version
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Research shows that one of the biggest deterrents for an officer to arrest a person for DWI (Driving While
Intoxicated) is the quantity of forms required to complete a DWI arrest. Often
an officer does not have the DWI enforcement experience and may be concerned
about completing the paperwork correctly or may view the arrest as burdensome
due to the amount of paperwork required.
Prior to the Minnesota DWI Forms Packet Program, forms
for a DWI arrest were not standardized. Much of the arrest information was
provided in a narrative format, so the quality varied depending on the officer.
Court personnel found it difficult to locate the necessary information on the
forms since the forms were not uniform. In addition, the information provided on the
forms may not have been sufficient to bring cases to trial.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of the DWI Forms Packet program is to increase DWI
arrests and increase the ability of the courts to successfully try DWI cases by
creating a standardized, user-friendly, stream-lined DWI forms process.
The program objectives are to:
-
Standardize DWI forms to make it easier to
find information and make the quality of reporting more consistent; -
Reduce the number of redundant forms and redundant
information contained in forms; -
Ensure that all information required to try
the case can be collected on the forms included in the forms packet; -
Ensure that the forms
packet meets the needs of all of the stakeholders in a DWI arrest.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
After numerous complaints about the process, the Minnesota State Patrol established
a working group. The working group consisted of representatives of all levels
in the Minnesota State Patrol, County Prosecutor Representative, Attorney
General's Office, and the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The working group was
responsible for:
-
Reviewing all current forms as well as forms
used by other states, -
Analyzing each form for missing and repeated
information. -
Ensuring that the packet included information
to assure a successful DWI conviction in court and "best practices".
RESULTS
The DWI Forms Packet program achieved the
following results as of June 2002:
-
Created a standardized DWI forms
packet. The forms contain checkboxes, and required information is clearly
marked.
-
Created a "user friendly" forms packet. The packet assists officers
that do not conduct DWI arrests often by walking them through the grueling
arrest procedure. -
Improved the packet that was
piloted with the Minnesota State Patrol. -
Incorporated suggestions to
improve the form into the next printing. -
Increased the rate of successful
prosecution of DWI cases. Law enforcement is not the only beneficiary of a
standardized form. The courts are able to obtain needed information as
a result of this effort. -
Initiated efforts to standardize all DWI arrest forms
throughout the entire state. Local
law enforcement has shown interest in the packets and requested to use them.
Fall
2003 complete Digest (PDF)
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