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<br />s <br /> <br />AFE AND SOBER & DWI TASK FORCE <br />Sergeant Pat Aldrich <br /> <br />In 2007 the Centennial Lakes Police Department, along with the other eleven Anoka <br />County police agencies, joined the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety and the <br />Minnesota State Patrol in implementing the Anoka County DWI Task Force. The <br />objective of the grant-aided task force was designed to reduce the number of alcohol <br />related fatalities in Anoka County. <br /> <br />Anoka County reported the third highest number of alcohol related traffic deaths <br />during the years of 2004 - 2006. The established goal was to eliminate Anoka <br />County from Minnesota's 15 deadliest counties list. High visibility and localized <br />saturation were two of the main focuses. <br /> <br />Each agency would send one representative to an 8 hour overtime shift. There were <br />four shifts posted each month, starting in May 2007 and running throughout the rest <br />ofthe year. Each shift would enforce a different stretch of roadway in the county. As <br />part of the grant, each officer wore a flourescent traffic vest and each squad car <br />displayed an Anoka County DWI Task Force decal. There were also two <br />illuminated/automated traffic signs posted on either end of the targeted road, advising <br />oncoming traffic of the DWI enforcement. There were more than 6900 vehicles <br />stopped in 2007 and over 490 DWI arrests were made. <br /> <br />In September, 2007, after sitting out the required year, the Centennial Lakes Police <br />Department re-joined Minnesota Safe and Sober along with the rest of Anoka County. <br />There was only one overtime saturation held in October. The saturation was held <br />during the staewide seatbelt mobilization. During the week and a half long wave, <br />officers issued 123 seatbelt cittations. That was the seventh highest total reported by <br />any of the participating departments in the state. There were 400 departments who <br />reported. <br /> <br />As the statistics show, our officers continued their efforts in keeping our roadways <br />safe. These efforts reflect how important traffic safety is to our community. <br /> <br />33 <br />