Sober View of Offenders

Although Greg Maciha arrested more drunk drivers last year than any other police officer in Orange County, he still is stunned by the arrogance of repeat offenders.

“They’re the ones that don’t care what the system tells them to do,” Maciha said. “They’re going to do it anyway.”

When he arrested Ronald W. Cram on Wednesday, Maciha said, Cram was “indifferent” about it.

“For some people, their first arrest is the last time we ever see them,” he said. “It wakes them up, and they stop. For others, it takes hurting somebody or killing somebody before they realize they have a problem.”

Maciha, 35, has arrested more than 1,000 drunk drivers during his three years on Santa Ana Police Department’s drunk-driving team. He made 317 arrests last year, but he said arrests don’t solve the drunk-driving problem. People need to stop making excuses and start being responsible, Maciha said.

“Arresting people is just kind of a Band-Aid,” Maciha said. “You’re always going to hear the excuse, ‘I was at a Christmas party,’ or something like that. But, with all the publicity of people that hurt themselves or kill other people while drinking and driving, there is no excuse.”

He believes that a person driving drunk is just as dangerous as someone walking down the street waving a gun. Maybe harsher jail sentences or alcohol treatment programs would stop drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel again, he said.

“They’re driving a 5,000-pound bullet on the road,” Maciha said. “Either they’re not thinking or they don’t care. By arresting them, hopefully one day it will stick in their minds, ‘Hey, I better not do this anymore.’ ”