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Call a ride, don't get a DUI, Newnan police say

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Published  November 20, 2024 7:05pm EST
Holidays
FOX 5 Atlanta

Newnan to step up DUI patrols over holidays

The Newnan Police Department has received a $43,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for what’s called High Visibility Enforcement just in time for the holidays. They'll be on the lookout for all sorts of crime, especially drunk driving.

The Brief

    • Law enforcement officers across metro Atlanta are planning to step up their patrols for the holidays.
    • The Newnan Police Department received a $43K grant; some of that money will go toward curbing drunk driving.

NEWNAN, Ga. - Police departments all over metro Atlanta will be stepping up patrols for the holidays because this is the time of year when drunk driving is most prevalent.

Newnan just got a $43,882 grant for beefed up enforcement on the roads, and they plan to use some of it in the coming weeks.

Communities around metro Atlanta have been reporting that DUI arrests are rising every year. The increase started during the pandemic in 2020, but hasn’t gotten better.

The grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is for what’s called High Visibility Enforcement. It came just in time for the holidays.

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"What I like everyone to do is plan for a way to get home. Getting home has gotten so much easier with ride-share programs," said Sgt. Justin Thompson of Newnan Police Department.

Newnan police say they are on track to exceed the number of DUI arrests from 2023.

They're also reminding residents that biking is not an alternative. In fact, Newnan police arrested a man for DUI on an electric bike, which they say counts as a motorized vehicle. That means drunk driving laws still apply.

Newnan's grant goes through September 2025, so they say this will be an ongoing effort past the holidays.

The Source: This is an original report by FOX 5 Atlanta's Doug Evans.