Following 2022 summer's deadly DWI wrecks, data shows Galveston PD has doubled drunk driving arrests

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Galveston police say they hate it took a tragedy to spark change, but since deadly DWI crashes last summer, they've prioritized stopping drunk drivers.

DEADLY DWI CRASH THAT 4 KILLED ON GOLF CART PROMPTED POLICE TO MAKE CHANGES

In August 2022, a crash involving a golf cart hasn't escaped the minds of the officers who responded.

"It came out as a wreck involving a golf cart," Officer Reed Jones recalled. "Not much information was given over the radio."

Jones was the first to respond. When he got there, he saw the horrific aftermath of a golf cart that officers believe was hit by a drunk driver.

Ultimately, four family members were killed. Reed let other officers know what happened.

"Hearing the different tone in his voice before I got there, I knew something was off," Officer Dennis Gardner recalled.

In the weeks after, two other deadly DWI crashes happened. One involved a scooter, and the other led to the deaths of two high school students.

Because of the wrecks, the Galveston Police Department started a new traffic enforcement unit; Gardner and Reed are on the unit.

"In my career, I worked a lot of bad wrecks," Jones explained. "I became very interested in making sure people get off the road safely."

HOW MANY MORE DWI ARRESTS ARE GPD OFFICERS MAKING?

In the year prior to the deadly crashes, numbers obtained by ABC13 show officers made 324 DWI arrests. Since the increased patrols started, that number has nearly doubled. In less than a year, officers have made 608 DWI arrests.

"I hate that this tragedy has brought about this type of change, but I welcome the change and hope to make the streets safer for Galveston," Assistant Chief Andre Mitchell said.

And it's not just the arrests. GPD launched a new program to help people pay for ride-shares. It's a discount that people on the island can take advantage of this Fourth of July.

The agency is also using new technology.

"We stepped up the efforts to streamline that process of making the reporting process easier and faster," Mitchell explained.

MORE PEOPLE ARE BEING ARRESTED FOR DWI, BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AFTER THEY GET BUSTED?

With more people being arrested, ABC13 asked the district attorney's office how the cases are playing out. So far, about 20 have been dismissed or dropped.

More than 120 have been convicted or faced punishment, and 450 are still in the system.

TWO GPD OFFICERS ARE AVERAGING A DWI ARREST EVERY OTHER DAY

A lot of those cases were brought by officers Gardner and Jones. They've made nearly 175 arrests since the unit started. That's nearly one every other day, and a third of all DWI arrests since mid-August. But their efforts didn't go unnoticed and led to city hall's recognition.

"It does make me feel good and positive and productive that we're able to make some kind of a quantifiable impact on things," Gardner said.

While the proclamation was nice, Reed said getting impaired drivers off the streets feels even better.

"We want people to be safe," Reed said. "We don't want work wrecks where people are losing their lives and getting seriously hurt."

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