PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1979, alcohol-related traffic crashes were the primary cause of death for people under the age of 40 in Oakland County, Michigan. During that year, 100 people lost their lives in alcohol-related crashes. To address this serious issue, the Traffic Improvement Association (TIA) of Oakland County used funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to create a countywide Alcohol Enforcement Team (AE Team). The AE Team patrolled major roadways in target locations throughout the county that were identified as having a high volume of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. The team was extremely successful in both Operating Under the Influence (OUIL) arrests, and community education and awareness.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Although NHTSA grant funding for AE Team operations expired in 1983, Oakland County leaders and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department recognized the importance and success of the program and voted through the County Board of Commissioners to fund an AE Team annually as a unit under the Sheriff's Department. Specific objectives of the AE Team program are to:

• Conduct alcohol enforcement activities during the days and hours when heavy alcohol use routinely occurs (Tuesday through Saturday, between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.)
• Complete an average of 100 alcohol-related arrests annually per team deputy
• Target 60,000 students in all 40 Oakland County public high schools, private schools and middle schools with an educational program entitled SCOPE (Stop drinking, Consider Consequences, Observe Yourself, Protect Society and Educate Others)
• Respond to requests from other police agencies for assistance and education
• Conduct community education programs and work closely with other county traffic safety advocates on drunk driving related issues

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The AE Team works actively with local police agencies and the Michigan Department of State Police, Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Traffic Improvement Association of Oakland County to expand team efforts through grant applications, training opportunities and public awareness campaigns. Through its many activities, the AE Team has played a major role in increasing public awareness of impaired driving and related issues.

RESULTS
On May 8, 2001, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department AE Team received recognition for its achievement of 10,000 OUIL arrests from 1980 to April 2001, with a conviction rate of 99.5 percent. The population of Oakland County has increased from 300,000 in 1970 to 1.3 million in 2000 and vehicle miles traveled have increased from 3 billion in 1970 to 12 billion miles in 2000.

In 1979, before the AE Team began operating, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department made 51 OUIL arrests annually. In the three years of the federal grant, Oakland County Sheriff's Department OUIL arrests totaled 2,886, with 1,724 (59 percent) made by the six officers of the AE Team. During the past 18 years, the AE Team has averaged 500 OUIL arrests each year. Preliminary data for 2000 indicates that alcohol-related fatalities occurring in Oakland County have been reduced from 85 in 1982 (61.1 percent of total fatalities) to 20 in 2000 (20.6 percent of total fatalities).