More Than 270 DWI Arrests Made During Holidays In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Austin police made more than 270 DWI arrests during the holiday period, law enforcement officials revealed on Wednesday.

The results stem from the "no refusal" initiative conducted by the Austin Police Department from Dec. 12, 2019, to Jan. 4, 2020, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night. Given the high level of alcohol consumption during the holidays, police departments typically implement such initiatives, with the "no refusal" descriptor denoting officers' ability to draw blood via search warrants even from drivers unwilling to voluntarily submit to sobriety tests.

All told, police made 274 DWI related arrests made. Police provided a breakdown from that total:

• Blood Search Warrants: 124
• Consent Breath Samples: 96
• Consent Blood Samples: 54

Of those arrests, police said, the following number had enhanced DWI charges:

Consent breath samples over .15= 44

Class A misdemeanor DWI (with prior conviction) = 37

Felony DWI (2 or more prior convictions) = 20

Felony DWI Child Passenger = 3

Intoxication assault= 1

"The Austin Police Department and the City of Austin Transportation Department are continuously focused on preventing lives from being lost on the streets, highways and waterways of Austin," officials wrote in a press advisory. "The Department is dedicated to making the roadways and waterways of Austin safe for residents and visitors through education and enforcement."