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Supporting Law Enforcement

MADD is committed to helping the law enforcement community continue its efforts to stop drunk driving by:

·     Offering trainings, tools and resources for enforcement

o  Provide materials to officers for victims regarding MADD’s free victim support service

o  Assist with identifying and bringing needed training to local law enforcement agencie

o  Providing specialized training, such as death notification and other topics, upon request

·     Conducting roll call briefings and recognition events

o  Staff and volunteers visit during shift change meetings and provide encouragement and updated information on MADD and DWI laws

o  Recognition events organized to acknowledge officers working to apprehend alcohol-impaired drivers, drug-impaired drivers and limit youth access to alcohol

o  Fallen officers honored through an online tribute and a photo exhibit at the MADD National Office

MADD encourages agencies to consider establishing: 

·     Routine, daily enforcement of impaired driving laws

·     Participation in highly visible enforcement campaigns such as the national crackdowns

·     A high priority placement for drunk driving complaints

·     Frequent saturation patrols

·     Media campaigns to make the public aware of DWI enforcement

·     Goals to reduce and eventually eliminate drunk driving

·     Enforcement of underage drinking laws through working relationships with campus police and administrators, and alcohol enforcement agencies

MADD wants to help agencies do more of what is effective 

Support for conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols
However in Texas, checkpoints are not yet legal so MADD also recommends highly publicized saturation patrols, which are effective but are about one third less effective then sobriety checkpoints.

Limit alcohol availability to minors
MADD’s Youth In Action and UMADD programs train high school and college students to support law enforcement in their efforts to reduce youth access to alcohol through several compliance checks, alcohol purchase surveys and other proven strategies.

Identify innovative solutions to prevent impaired driving
MADD seeks to promote DWI paperwork reduction technology to ease the burden on officers.

Moving Toward a Cure 

Drunk driving continues to be one of America’s most frequently committed crimes with more than 10,000 deaths each year. Over the last 31 years, MADD has refined its vision to implement bold, innovative, and effective prevention initiatives to create a future where no one drives drunk and no one under 21 drinks alcohol.

MADD recently celebrated the 5th anniversary of our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving and the organization is reinvigorating its efforts to champion the work of law enforcement to deter drunk driving. MADD also aims to garner support and generate awareness of the need for enforcement of anti-drunk driving laws.

The Campaign goes beyond slogans and tag lines. We want to completely eliminate drunk driving. With the help of leaders nationwide, including law enforcement, MADD plans on making drunk driving the public health equivalent of polio. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving calls for intensive, high visibility enforcement, mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, exploration of advanced vehicle-based technology and community support for all of the above. Working with leaders in the judicial and prosecutorial arenas, along with the driver’s licensing authorities; the support of ignition will help stop the revolving door on repeat drunk driving offenders.