In 2021, the Bend Police Department redirected two traffic unit officer positions to be a dedicated DUII / Aggressive Driving Enforcement Team on afternoon shift hours. Over the last four years, community members have ranked traffic safety and enforcement consistently high in the bi-annual Bend Police Department survey. In the 2021 survey, between 70 and 90 percent of community members surveyed ranked distracted driving and speeding as their highest concerns, with over 60 percent of the community members surveyed supporting additional enforcement efforts and additional officers to enforce DUII crimes.
“The goals of the Bend Police Department are aligned with the goals of our community in ensuring overall safety by enforcing dangerous driving behavior to include DUII enforcement, speeding, and distracted driving,” said Police Chief Mike Krantz.
Over the last several months, the Bend Police Department has focused on increasing DUII enforcement from this dedicated team, officers on our traffic team, and officers in our patrol division. The data for the last five years (January 2017 through October 2021) of DUII arrest cases are detailed below and provide more detail of enforcement in Deschutes County.
The following agencies contributed to the total number of arrests in Deschutes County: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Redmond Police Department, Sunriver Police Department, and Black Butte Police Department.
These law enforcement agencies combined, averaged 1,150 DUII arrests per year (2017, 2018, 2019) or 3.2 arrests per day. In 2020 and 2021 these agencies were estimated to have a combined average of 825 DUII arrests per year or 2.3 arrests per day.
The below graph details 2,243 DUII arrests made by the Bend Police Department over the previous five years. There is a noticeable decline from 2019 to 2020 which is representative of the COVID pandemic to include fewer alcohol establishments being open or having reduced hours and likely a reduction in proactive policing contacts such as traffic stops.
Additionally, we reviewed data specific to range of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) range and broke those down into percentage of total arrests.
Lastly, we reviewed data specific to age at the time of arrest and also broke those down into age range and percentage of total arrests.
Individuals who drink alcohol or use other intoxicants are encouraged to use ride share opportunities such as Lyft, Uber, Taxi Service, Shuttle Service or designate a sober driver. Bend Police also encourage community members to report if they suspect a DUII driver by calling the non-emergency line at 541-693-6911 or 911 for an emergency.
The consequences for the first-time conviction of driving under the influence of intoxicants is a one-year driver’s license suspension, a minimum fine of $1,000 and a maximum fine of $6,250 and up to 364 days in jail.
Submitted by: Lt. Juli McConkey