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December 31, 2009

Full force

Local Law Enforcement out in Full Force for New Year’s

Kevin Kerr

DUNCAN — New Year’s is usually a big celebration for most people, and sometimes those celebrations can get a little out of hand. Enter Duncan area law enforcement.

Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford said that his department will be out in full force on New Year’s Eve patrolling the streets of Duncan making sure that they are safe.

“There will be extra patrol and the emphasis is always traffic on that type of night,” Ford said.

Ford said that New Year’s in the past aren’t real consistent, and that some are busier than others, but the main emphasis is that he wants the streets to be safe for all drivers and pedestrians in Duncan.

“We’ll have as many cars out as we can,” Ford said. “It’ll be no more coordinated than what we do but certainly everybody will be working with each other.”

He also said that they will be taking a zero tolerance toward impaired drivers, which is as usual, but he wanted to raise awareness.

“This is one night that people know the possibility is greater (to get caught),” Ford said. “Get somebody else to drive you home that hasn’t been drinking.”

As well as city law enforcement, the Sheriff’s department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol will also be ramping up their patrol on New Year’s.

Sheriff Wayne McKinney said they will be patrolling extra units all over the county with the occasional driver’s license checkpoint.

“We’ll be looking specifically for impaired drivers,” McKinney said, “and we will execute a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who might be driving impaired.”

McKinney wasn’t sheriff last year, but said that he hopes to continue to make this a safe holiday for people in the county. He also said he still wants people to enjoy the holiday.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain Mike McClelland said that the OHP will have as much personnel on hand as they can to cover the roads and ensure the motoring public’s safety.

“We’ll have additional units out, especially on that late shift when all the parties start to break up,” McClelland said.

He said that they don’t have anything formally set up in conjunction with local police or with the sheriff’s department, but they normally work together on nights like these and try to help one another as much as possible to keep people safe.

New Year’s can be a fun holiday, and the majority of the area law enforcement still want everyone to enjoy the celebration, but they do warn that too much celebration will come with its consequences.

“If they’re drinking and driving, they will go to jail,” McKinney said. “We want them to go out and celebrate and enjoy the new year, but we want them around for 2010, too.”



— Kevin Kerr is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 147, or via e-mail at kevin.kerr@duncanbanner.com.

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