Patricia R. Lykos, District Attorney
Harris County, Texas
September 4, 2009
Public Information Office
Donna Hawkins
George Flynn
713-755-3320
Houston, TX – District Attorney Patricia Lykos announced Friday that new, expanded state laws for testing drivers’ intoxication levels will be strictly enforced for the anti-DWI “No Refusal” deployment during this Labor Day holiday weekend.
Upgraded statutes took effect Tuesday to expedite the mandatory blood testing of DWI offenders who refuse requests for voluntary breath testing. Judges can authorize search warrants forcing them to submit blood samples.
Under the new laws, warrants will not even be required for blood tests on intoxicated drivers who are habitual DWI offenders. That also applies to those who have children in their vehicles, or who are involved in crashes that cause injuries.
“This new legislation makes the message even louder and more obvious,” said Brent Mayr, Chief of the District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Section. “If you are intoxicated and you chose to drive, you are going to get caught – you can’t refuse these tests.”
Prosecutors will be teamed with nurses and staff to draw blood samples at the Houston Police Department’s Central Intoxication Facility downtown and the Pasadena Police Department headquarters in Pasadena. Mayr said officers will also target motorists who are impaired by other drugs, such as marijuana and Xanax.
Enforcement will be countywide; the teams will be available to assist police agencies who bring suspects to these locations from anywhere in Harris County. The No Refusal program is planned to operate from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily from Friday night through early Monday (Sept. 4-7).
A similar No Refusal operation during the last Labor Day weekend resulted in 208 DWI-related charges. There were 337 arrests made in the last District Attorney’s No Refusal program, a two-weekend operation during the Fourth of July period.
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Last Updated: 9/4/2009