1,140 arrested during Minnesota DWI crackdown leading into Labor Day
ST. PAUL, Minn — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's traffic safety office reported that officers arrested more than 1,100 drivers for DWI during their campaign leading into Labor Day.
In all, there were 1,140 total arrests made between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, during which there was an increased level of patrol statewide, with 267 participating law enforcement agencies.
The department also noted that 125 drivers were cited for violating the state's "Move Over" law, or failing to reduce speed and change over into the lefthand lanes when squad cars are in the process of pulling someone over. That was a smaller number than the 174 logged the prior year.
The highest blood alcohol content levels registered from tests in the field during the Labor Day crackdown were 0.44 in Nobles County, and 0.43 in St. Paul.
The agencies that had the highest number of DWI arrests during the campaign were the Minnesota State Patrol Golden Valley district, with 84 arrests, and the St. Paul Police Department, with 42 total.
Law enforcement across the state arrested 19,035 drivers for DWI so far in 2023 compared with 18,223 this time last year.