Crime & Safety
RI State Police Issue 500 Tickets During 4th of July Holiday Week
State Police Troopers responded to 61 crashes and issued over 500 tickets this July 4th holiday weekend. Here's how the numbers break down.
From July 3 to 7, Rhode Island State Police issued more than 500 tickets and arrested nine people for drunken driving, Colonel James Manni said Tuesday. Throughout the weekend, the department responded to 61 crashes. Extra patrols were added during that time, as the holiday usually sees an uptick in distracted and intoxicated drivers and more people are on the road for holiday weekend road trips.
"There is simply no excuse for anyone driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol," Manni said. "The Rhode Island State Police will continue to aggressively pursue, arrest and prosecute anyone who drives while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, putting the lives of everyone else at risk."
The nine drunken driving arrests were part of the ongoing "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" and "Operation "CARE" initiatives, national programs focus on cracking down on intoxicated driving. Through these programs, additional patrols are added to state highways.
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Here's a look at the weekend's patrols by the numbers:
- Calls for service: 953
- Traffic stops: 486
- Disabled Vehicles: 82
- Crashes: 61
- Speeding tickets: 135
- Seatbelt/child carseat violations: 57
- Distracted Driving tickets: 57
- Total tickets: 507
Find out what's happening in Newportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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