NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island DUI Task Force is out in full force looking for impaired drivers this Fourth of July.
The Rhode Island DUI Task Force’s sole purpose is to arrest impaired drivers, according to North Kingstown Lt. Don Barrington, and is typically deployed ahead of holidays and long weekends.
Barrington described the DUI Task Force as having a “beehive effect,” meaning officers throughout the state’s 39 cities and towns, as well as the Rhode Island State Police, are out patrolling with the same purpose.
“We’re just out there trying to keep people safe,” Barrington said.
Officers will typically pull cars over for driving too fast, too slow, swerving or driving in a reckless manner, according to Barrington. He said the officers then conduct a series of field sobriety tests to determine whether the driver is impaired before taking them into custody.
SEE ALSO: RI DEM increases boating patrols for 4th of July
Barrington noted that every single crash involving an impaired driver is “completely senseless and preventable.”