AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Community efforts of preventing impaired driving were highlighted during a stakeholder briefing featuring Andrea’s Project, the Texas Department of Transportation Amarillo District, and the Amarillo Police Department this month at the Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation.
According to city officials, APD’s participation in this community-wide initiative features the Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit, which is led by Unit Commander Sgt. Eric Vaughn and APD officers Chaz Garrison, Micah Heagen, Matthew Dixon, and Michael Campbell. Officials noted that the unit has made an impact since debuting in September.
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City officials detail the numbers from the program, including:
- From Sept. 18 to Dec. 17 of 2025, IDEU made 242 arrests for impaired driving.
- There were 130 arrests by APD in the same time period in 2024.
- From Sept. 18 to Dec. 17 of 2025, 242 impaired driving cases were sent for prosecution.
- In the same time period of 2024, APD had 130 impaired driving cases sent for prosecution.
- As of Dec. 17 in 2025, APD made 652 impaired driving arrests.
- In 2024, APD made 513 impaired driving arrests
- Since the start of APD’s IDEU on Sept. 18, APD ranks first statewide in LEADRS, an online data reporting system that streamlines the DWI report writing for Texas law enforcement officers. The top three officers in the state rankings are APD officers.
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