The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

State News

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address. Once you do, your comments will post automatically. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
November 11, 2008

Funding renewed for two state patrol DUI programs

Submitted by the Georgia Department of Public Safety



ATLANTA — Two Georgia State Patrol programs have been awarded grant funds for the coming year. Col. Bill Hitchens said that funding for the Georgia State Patrol Nighthawks as well as the agency’s Administrative License Suspension (ALS) program has been approved for a grant from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

The ALS program and the GSP Nighthawks were created in 2004. Under the ALS program, Georgia state troopers receive training, legal assistance and, in some cases, legal representation as they testify at Administrative License Suspension hearings for people charged with driving under the influence. In Georgia, under certain circumstances, the state can administratively suspend the driver’s license and the ALS hearing is held when the motorist contests the suspension. Former prosecutor Dee Brophy is the ALS attorney who developed the program and represents troopers at the ALS hearings.

As part of her duties, Brophy files pre-trial motions or assists the troopers with filing the motions as well as conducting the direct examination of the trooper’s testimony at the ALS hearing, introducing relevant documents, conducting cross examination, making objections and arguing the case at the close of evidence. She is also available to conduct legal research and file written briefs and post-hearing motions.

The GSP Nighthawks is a team of Georgia state troopers who have undergone specialized training in impaired driving enforcement. Troopers on the Nighthawks Task Force were recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2005 as the best DUI enforcement unit in North America as part of their annual Chiefs’ Challenge. The troopers have arrested 679 people for driving under the influence so far this year. Last year, the team made 1,054 DUI arrests.

The Nighthawks began patrols in the fall of 2004 and patrol in Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties during the peak hours for impaired drivers.

Impaired drivers account for almost one-third of the traffic deaths on Georgia roads each year and the effort to reduce that number is one of the objectives of the Nighthawks DUI Task Force.

Text Only
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Syrian Boy Speaks Out, Survives Family Massacre Judge Tells John Edwards Jury: Keep Deliberating House Rejects Sex-selection Abortion Ban Bush, Obama on Stage Together Share Laughs SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth Warming Gas Levels Hit 'Troubling Milestone' Youngest-ever Speller Disappointed by Mistake 2 American Tourists Kidnapped in Egypt Chen Guangcheng: 'Historic Transition' in China New York City Seeks Big Drink Ban Los Angeles Bans Plastic Grocery Bags Raw Video: SpaceX Dragon Leaves Space Station Police: Gunman Kills 5, Self in Seattle Experts: Americans Must Prepare for Storm Season Forest Fire Becomes New Mexico's Largest Ever Montreal Police: Mailed Body Parts From Same Man Facebook Expands Campus As Stock Shrinks