MADD and Police Join Hands in Pilot Program

By Editor

Law enforcement won’t be the only ones out on the road this Labor Day weekend. Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Manatee Country Sheriff’s Department in Florida will be working together on a “first in the nation” program that will put trained MADD observers on the road to watch and report for potential drunk drivers.

The MADD volunteers will add to the high visibility enforcement many counties across the nation will be implementing. Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube announced that there would also be DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols on the road this weekend.

The volunteer teams will be in unmarked, private vehicles and using their personal cell phones to communicate with police. When people see drivers that are demonstrating signs of impairment, they will contact the sheriff’s department to respond to the situation.

The pilot program will be assessed after operating for six months to look at data collected about response times, percentage of arrests, number of observations and more.

Read more about this program in the following article:

MADD Volunteers to Deputize Themselves