Waltham Police Announce Extra DUI Patrols

WALTHAM, MA – The Waltham Police Department announced Wednesday it would be ramping up patrols over the next few weeks.

The increase in patrols is to look for people driving drunk or high, which police departments often do around holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day and New Year's.

Statistics show an uptick in drunk driving around major holidays; for example, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 40 percent of fatal crashes over Labor Day weekend in 2014 involved drunk drivers.

In Massachusetts, a first OUI conviction can carry a penalty of up to 30 months in jail, a fine between $500 and $5,000 and a one-year suspension of license.

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