Probation Officers Crack Down on Drunk Drivers
Drunk drivers are not generally considered violent offenders, so probation officers don’t regularly supervise them. Unless you happen to be in Merced County.
James Rochester of the county Probation Department and Officer Paul Speers of the California Highway Patrol are the first team in the state to check up on repeat drunk drivers.
Rochester and Speers have been working together since July and have already surprised a number of people violating probation by drinking or having alcohol in the house.
“At the beginning, we would catch about 70% of them doing stuff they shouldn’t be doing,” Rochester said.
That can be anything from driving a car to drinking a glass of wine. One man was arrested for drinking at a family celebration.
Now, however, the word is getting out and more people are complying with the terms of their probation, LaSalle said.
Probation violators can be given jail time or be required to enter a treatment program.
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