The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office maintains a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) enforcement patrol. Two uniform Deputy Sheriffs are assigned to DWI patrol; one each on the afternoon and midnight shifts. The Deputies are assigned specifically to DWI enforcement and education. The funding for these positions is reimbursed by the Oneida County Stop DWI Program with fine monies of drivers who have been convicted of alcohol related driving offenses.
The DWI Patrol Deputies target specific areas of the county on an alternating schedule. Target areas are selected based upon traffic, special events and historical enforcement data. In addition to enforcement, the DWI Patrols serve as a deterrent to Driving While Intoxicated. The visibility of the specially designated and marked patrol cars is intended to help a driver decide if he/she is too intoxicated to operate a vehicle.
Since the inception of the County’s Stop DWI Program in 1981, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of alcohol involved traffic accident injuries and fatalities on Oneida County roadways (Stop DWI Annual Report 2017). Enforcement by the Sheriff’s DWI Patrols has been a significant factor in this decrease.
