MCDAO Vehicular Crimes Division — 'Blackout Wednesday' No Refusal

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- Starting Wednesday, November 27, 2019, Montgomery County Law Enforcement agencies will begin to conduct increased DWI enforcement to hopefully send a strong message to drivers that impaired driving in Montgomery County will not be tolerated over the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is known as 'Blackout Wednesday' because it is one of the heaviest drinking days of the year. These increased operations will continue through Sunday, December 1, 2019.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's office, in conjunction with both state and local law enforcement agencies, will increase No Refusal Operations and DWI Enforcement throughout Montgomery County — from East to West. The goal of this initiative is to prevent traffic related crashes and deaths caused by impaired drivers.

During this time period, the District Attorney's office, through their No Refusal TxDOT Grant, will provide nurses, prosecutors, investigators, and judges at various locations throughout the county to assist law enforcement in obtaining blood evidence in cases were a DWI suspect refuses to provide a scientific sample. The process is simple, but effective: 1) an officer makes a DWI arrest and asks the suspect for a breath or blood sample; 2) if the suspect refuses, the officer then meets with a prosecutor who drafts a search warrant for the suspect's blood; 3) the warrant is sent to an on-call judge who will review the warrant for probable cause; 4) if probable cause is found, a nurse will then take a sample of the DWI suspect's blood.

These No Refusal Operations ensure that scientific evidence is obtained in all DWI cases and provides the prosecution with strong evidence of guilt or innocence. Many Montgomery County law enforcement agencies have committed to increasing DWI Enforcement to catch as many impaired drivers as possible.

Andrew James, Vehicular Crimes Chief: 'Thanksgiving is a time of celebration and appreciation for everything and everyone in our lives that we are grateful for. It is also a time where many are traveling on our roads to spend this time with family and friends. There is no excuse to get behind the wheel impaired. We need everyone on the roads driving safe and sober so that this time of celebration and appreciation doesn't become a time for tragedy.'