Philadelphia area has lower DUI rates than rural PA
According to statistics, police officers in rural central Pennsylvania have made more DUI arrests than their city counterparts.
One Pennsylvania DUI checkpoint established in the mid-state area has recorded over 2,000 arrests for DUI since this time last year. Pennsylvania Troop H, in charge of 6 central Pennsylvania counties, has netted the most DUI arrests in total. This Troop has pulled in 269 suspects for DUI arrests.
The Philadelphia area, with a much higher population concentration, only recorded 191 arrests in the same time period. Pittsburgh, also a metropolitan center, only netted 230 arrests. And officers claim it is not for lack of DUI drivers. Proud members of Troop H say they are just good at what they do.
Even though the 406 officers in Troop H are only responsible for 1.1 million people, and even though the area is also heavily covered by state troopers, the officers say it the dedication of each individual officer that has made a difference.
More than 100 officers have elected to undergo specific DUI training offered by Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association and other groups. The officers learn to more keenly observe patterns in drunk driving as well as perform expert field sobriety examinations.
The central Pennsylvania agencies’ records were commended on the state level. There, officials congratulated sheriffs who place a high importance on DUI enforcement.
