As a police department, our job is to create public safety for the citizens in our community. While we are proud that crime has dropped for the third consecutive year in Wheat Ridge, and crime is now at levels that we saw before the pandemic, there are still areas of concern for our department, especially on our roads.
Wheat Ridge is a unique community. We have several major highways and state roads that run through our jurisdiction, including I-70, Highway 58, Wadsworth Blvd, Kipling St. and Sheridan Blvd to name a few. As a result, our department responds to a lot of crashes and accidents.
One of the trends we are noticing this year of particular concern is the rise in people driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or in some cases, both. Through October of this year, our department has seen a 36% increase in DUI-related crashes compared to the same timeframe in 2023. We expect that trend to continue, as we calculate our numbers for November and December.
We are fortunate to be in a strong staffing position, and as a result, have a fully staffed patrol team and Crash and Traffic Team. This allows us to ramp up our enforcement efforts to respond and proactively address this issue on our roads. So far this year, DUI arrests have gone up 27% in Wheat Ridge.
You can expect to see more Wheat Ridge police officers on our roads for DUI enforcement around Christmas and New Years.
While we focus on what we can control and improving our enforcement, we are asking the citizens of Wheat Ridge for some help this holiday season. Make a plan to get a sober driver if you want to celebrate this holiday season. Take an Uber, or coordinate with a friend for a ride home. If you see someone driving who you suspect is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call 911 immediately.
Thank you for doing your part to keep our roads safe, and from all of us here at the Wheat Ridge Police Department, have a safe and happy holiday season.
