Over 2,000 DWI arrests made in Minnesota during 2024 holiday season
MINNEAPOLIS — Over 2,000 people were arrested in Minnesota for driving while impaired during the 2024 holiday season, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
From Nov. 27 through Dec. 31, 2,079 people were arrested as part of the agency's DWI enforcement campaign.
Minnesota State Patrol troopers in the west metro arrested 247 people during the campaign — the highest of any region in the state.
The Elk River Police Department reported arresting someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.415, which is more than five times the legal limit of 0.08.
In the Twin Cities metro, someone with an alleged blood alcohol level of 0.38 was arrested by the Brooklyn Park Police Department.
More than 300 local law enforcement agencies helped in the campaign, which had funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"To those sober drivers I say thank you; it really was a gift," said Mike Hanson, director for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety. "For those who chose to drive impaired, we're grateful to our law enforcement partners who are relentlessly protecting Minnesotans from those reckless decisions."
Over 24,000 people were arrested for driving while impaired in Minnesota between January and November 2024, according to the agency.