By Margaret Anderson
Alcohol related crimes are becoming an ever-increasing problem for Orem Police.
According to Orem Police Department Public Safety Officer Doug Edwards, at least two to three arrests are made nightly due to problems with alcohol.
The Orem Police Department designates one officer as their alcohol officer to concentrate specifically on the prevention and discipline of the abuse of this particular depressant.
The majority of the arrests in Orem occur while the intoxicated person is behind the wheel.
A DUI is worthy of arrest in Utah Valley.
Police must perform various procedures before determining if a driver deserves being slapped with such a citation.
A standard, portable breathalyzer test is issued as well as a subjective analysis of the person’s conduct, demeanor and overall scent of alcohol by the officer, Edwards said.
In the state of Utah the legal limit of alcohol in a person’s blood stream while driving is .08.
Orem is not the only city in the valley concerned about this issue during the summer months when alcohol consumption is at a high.
Over Memorial Day weekend, 17 arrests or citations were issued by Provo Police officers together with Utah County Sheriff deputies at a sobriety checkpoint near Utah Lake State Park.
The post was made with the intention of increasing awareness in the motoring public, said Sgt. Mark West of the Provo Police Department.
They also wanted to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road.
The checkpoint proved its point.
Edwards said that although Orem has not set up any sobriety checkpoints lately, they are eminent in the upcoming months.
Before setting up a sobriety checkpoint, officers in Orem put a notice in local newspapers telling the public when and where the checkpoint will be so that it does not come as a surprise.
