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The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has unveiled a new tool to curb drunk driving.
Police presented a new Mobile DUI Enforcement Center (MDEC) during a March 15 news conference at the Metro Patrol Division Station.
The MDEC was funded by a $395,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation and replaces a 24-year-old recreational vehicle that KCPD used as a command post at sobriety check points.
Kansas City, Mo., significantly leads the state in alcohol-involved crashes, alcohol-involved fatal crashes and alcohol-involved serious injury crashes. Approximately 63 percent of Kansas City’s traffic deaths in 2010 were attributed to someone driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
KCPD worked to remove these dangerous drivers from the road by making 1,661 DUI arrests in 2010.
MDEC will allow Kansas City police to combat drunk drivers at sobriety checkpoints and other impaired driving enforcement operations. Officers will be able to process up to five impaired drivers at once and administer breath alcohol tests. In addition, the unit has built-in computers connected to the department’s network.
“Knowing that funding for this type of vehicle only comes along once in a generation, the MDEC was built with longevity in mind,” said Srgt. Ron Podraza, supervisor of KCPD’s DUI Section. “The MDEC will serve our citizens for many years to come, combating the scourge of impaired drivers.”
Above: Kansas City Police Department unveils a new Mobile DUI Enforcement Center (MDEC), pictured left, to combat drunk driving The MDEC was funded by a $395,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation. Photo provided by KCPD
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