MINNESOTA |
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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
To assist law enforcement officers in handling impaired driving arrests, the MSP purchased a 36-foot-long custom designed BATmobile, containing facilities for processing impaired drivers. Although BATmobiles have traditionally been used in support of impaired driving checkpoints, MSP officers transferred the utility of the BATmobile to support Operation NightCAP saturation patrols. Prior experience demonstrated that, when a significant number of officers worked a saturation patrol, it placed a strain on the capabilities of local Driving While Impaired (DWI) processing facilities. This was especially true in rural areas, where some community events were attended by more than 100,000 people. The resulting arrest backup at local police stations and county jails increased the downtime for arresting officers, and impeded routine law enforcement operations at these facilities. The Operation NightCAP BATmobile is deployed at a strategic location for each event, often adjacent to a local law enforcement agency command post. This strategic placement of the BATmobile acts as a deterrent to impaired driving, by alerting motorists that a saturation patrol is operating in the vicinity. The vehicle also serves as a backdrop for press conferences conducted to inform the media and the public of the saturation patrols. A large public information sign on the back of the unit also functions as a rolling DWI prevention billboard, as the vehicle is being driven to and from the event. Impaired driving offenders are brought to a central location, where they are turned over to processing officers/deputies assigned to the BATmobile. Offenders are then booked at the BATmobile, and transported in groups to a detention facility. A retired state patrol commander serves as a Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) to coordinate, manage and drive the BATmobile. |
RESULTS |
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NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION |
FALL 2000 |