Media

Metro D.U.I. Unit To Receive New State Of The Art Equipment To Detect Impaired Drivers

Release Date: August 25, 2004

The 20 Metro D.U.I. vehicles that patrol Memphis and Shelby County for impaired drivers will soon have new equipment. The Metro D.U.I. Unit will be one of the first in the country to use this latest technology to test drivers who may be impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The breath alcohol machines are being purchased for law enforcement agencies across the state by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The equipment was bought through a grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office.

“We are extremely grateful to Governor Bredesen, the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for these state of the art machines. They will certainly help us in our aggressive fight to stop impaired driving in Shelby County,” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

On Thursday, August 26, 2004, at 10:00 a.m., a training demonstration of the new equipment will be hosted by the T.B.I. Representatives of law enforcement agencies throughout west Tennessee will be attending the session which will be held at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Substation at 11670 Memphis Arlington Road.

The Shelby County Metro D.U.I. Unit was formed in 1972. It was the first “mobile enforcement unit” in the United States. Metro D.U.I., which is commanded by the Sheriff’s Office, is comprised of officers who serve from the Sheriff’s Office, Memphis Police Department and Germantown Police Department.

The T.B.I. oversees D.U.I. programs across the state. Agents ensure that all breath-alcohol machines are tested and certified every three months. The T.B.I. also monitors the charging of offenders to see that law enforcement agencies use the same standards for prosecution.

Department of Safety officials say almost 300 people were killed in Tennessee last year in vehicle crashes involving impaired drivers.