Drinking and Driving

Drunk driving is the leading cause of death of young people ages 15-24.  An alcohol related motor vehicle crash kills someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injures someone every 2 minutes (NHTSA 2004) On Friday and Saturday nights, 1 out of every 10 drivers are drunk.  Drunk driving is the #1 traffic safety problem across the nation. There are more that 25,000 Americans that die yearly as a result of drunk driving. Drugs other than alcohol (e.g.: marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths.  These other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol.  (NHTSA 1993) Each year, alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion.

Police Accreditation On-Site

On-Site

Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment   A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) will arrive December 1, 2007 to examine all aspects of the Lebanon Division of Police’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Ken Burns announced today. Verification by the team that the Lebanon Division of Police meets the Commission’s state of the art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public hearing session December 3, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.  The session will be conducted in the Council Chambers of the City Building, 50 South Broadway, Lebanon, Ohio. If for some reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone.  The public may call 513-228-3322 on Tuesday December 4, 2007 between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the police division’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards.  A copy of the standards is available at the police station, 25 West Silver Street, Lebanon, Ohio .  The contact at the police division is Sergeant Rick Bens, 513-228-3310. Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Lebanon Division of Police’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc (CALEA), 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-2201 . The Lebanon Division of Police has to comply with 446 standards in order to gain accredited status.  The Lebanon Division of Police has been accredited since March, 1986.  The accreditation process has enabled the police division to provide quality law enforcement services to the community in accordance with nationally accepted standards.  The accreditation process has provided a comprehensive set of policy and procedure for the employees to follow in our delivery of service to the community.  The Accreditation Program Manager for the Lebanon Division of Police is Sergeant Rick Bens.  The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar but out-of-state agencies.  The assessors will review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and other places where compliance can witnessed.  The assessors are: Kim Crannis of the Blacksburg, Virginia Police Department, Brian Windham of the DeSoto, Texas Police Department and Richard White of the Portage, Michigan Police Department.  Once the Commission’s assessors complete their review of the agency, they will report back to the full Commission, which will then decide if the agency is to be granted accredited status. Accreditation is for three years, during which the police division must submit annual repots attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited. For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., please write the Commission at 10302 Eaton Place, Suite 100, Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2201, call 1-800-368-3757 or visit www. Calea.org.

Drunk Driving Penalties

If you think that drunk driving penalties in the United States are tough (Ohio:  3 days in jail, a $500 fine and a 30 day license suspension); consider these countries. Australia:  The names of the drunk drivers are sent to the local newspapers.  It is printed under the heading "He's Drunk and in Jail." Malaysia:  The drunk driver is jailed.  If he is married, his wife goes to jail with him. South Africa:  The drunk driver is given a 10 year sentence, a fine of $10,000 or both. Norway:  The penalty is 3 weeks in jail at hard labor and 1 year loss of license.  The second offense within 5 years, the license is revoked. England:  1 year supervision and a $250.00 fine and 1 year in jail. France:  3 year loss of license, 1 year in jail and a $1,000.00 fine. Poland:  Jail, fine and enforced attendance at political lectures. Finland & Sweden:  Drunk drivers serve 1 year in jail. Turkey:  Drunk drivers have a long journey ahead of them.  Police take them 20 miles from town and force them to walk back. San Salvador & Bulgaria:  The drunk driver is given another chance.  He isn't excuted until his second offense.