Hingham Police to Patrol Streets During Biggest Drinking Nights of the Year

While the evening before Thanksgiving is considered one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, Hingham police will make sure impaired drivers won’t travel far.

This week, the Hingham Police Department have added additional officers to OUI Saturation Patrols, whose sole mission will be detecting and arresting drunk drivers, police said.  The OUI Saturation Patrols will work on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night.

“This is based on popularity of the Thanksgiving weekend for class reunions, college students home and people who may go out after holiday shopping,” Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth said in  a written statement.

The additional officers will target roads where OUI crashes have occurred in 2012 and motorists should be on the lookout for more police activity during these nights.

If a driver notices a drunken driver, police recommend they call police, describe the make and color of the vehicle, the license plate and the direction it’s headed and to never stop the vehicle.

So far in 2012, Hingham Police have received 399 calls reporting “erratic drivers” and last November calls from drivers reporting “erratic driving” allowed Hingham Officers to remove three alleged drunk drivers from the road within a 4 1⁄2 hour period.

This weeks’ extra patrols will be paid for by a federal community-policing grant presented to the Hingham Police Department.

To help prevent drunk driving, 26 Hingham establishments are also members of the Police Department’s Designated Driver Program. As part of the program, the restaurants must agree to give free non-alcoholic beverages to residents who identify themselves as the designated driver. Those served must be with at least one other person and must have no alcohol.  If the designated driver orders an alcoholic drink at anytime, they will be forced to pay for the drinks.