Terrebonne school board protects self in realignment plan
June 12, 2012
Almost to Asia: Officials leave for China this week to explore opportunities
June 12, 2012By CLAUDETTE OLIVIER
claudette@tri-parishtimes.com
Thibodaux Police Department is increasingly aggressive in its crime reduction strategy, blocking burglaries and thefts and increasing driving while intoxicated arrests.
“In the last year, our officers have been trained to use the Intoxilizer 5000 Breathalyzer machine,” Chief of Police Scott Silverii said. “They have also been trained on in-car computers that have a constant feed of data showing where DWI arrests and wrecks have occurred in the past. These patterns offer a digital representation through mapping programs.”
As of last Wednesday, the department had arrested 112 individuals for DWI so far this year, an annual mark it did not reach until October of 2011. Last year’s total, 183, which was up from a 3-year average of 27, was a record breaker for the department. That record may be on its way to being shattered with this year’s advances in technology, mapping and officer training.
“At this time last year, we had 39 DWI arrests,” Silverii said. “We are fully staffed now, and our force has an extra year of training under our crime reduction strategy. The program is more experienced and effective.”
According to TPD analyst Det. Jacob Thibodeaux, the majority of those arrested for DWI this year of were white males.
“Out of 112 arrests, 50 of them were white males,” Thibodeuax said. “The 21 to 29 age range also saw the most arrests, with 21 apprehended.”
Traffic data has also helped the department reduce the number of vehicular crashes in the first quarter of 2012 from 428 in 2011 to only 201 this year. Of the crashes during early 2012 only two were alcohol related and only one last year involved alcohol.
“There are not too many alcohol- related crashes in the city limits because the speeds are lower,” Thibodeaux said.
“We had an 18-year-old arrested for a second offense and individuals in their 50s and 60s arrested as well,” Silverii added.
By using a mapping program, officers are able to hone in on places and times best for nabbing impaired drivers.
“The program allows officers to focus and concentrate enforcement on a specific area instead of just conducting patrols in random areas,” Silverii said. “They are shrinking the random patrols and laser pointing the hot spots. DWI is a criminal offense, not a just a traffic violation.”
With the new crime reduction strategy, Silverii hopes to eliminate alcohol-related fatal and serious injury crashes within the city. He attributed the success of this year to his force’s commitment to using the mapping program as an enforcement tool.
In addition to helping the department catch those who are drinking and driving, the mapping program is also helping reduce the number of thefts and burglaries in the city.
“Overall, the mapping program is part of our high visibility enforcement, which has a deterrent effect on all crime, like burglaries and theft,” Silverii said. “We have had a large reduction in our three-year average of thefts. Last year at this time, we had already had 99 burglaries and this year, we have only had 59.”
