APD draws less blood on New Year's

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Hours before the ball dropped on 6th Street, Austin Police had their BAT Bus set up downtown.

The acronym has become the designated name for the 'Breath Alcohol Testing' station. It is a one-stop shop for suspected drunk drivers during 'no refusal' campaigns when police obtain search warrants to perform blood-alcohol tests on those who refuse to blow.

"When you get proof that they are intoxicated, which blood or breath samples give, it's hard to argue that case in court," said Lt. Randy Pogue with the Austin Police Department.

Officers arrested 24 people for driving while intoxicated overnight. 18 drivers agreed to a breathalyzer.
One person decided to take a voluntary blood test, and five blood tests were taken under search warrants.

The same number of arrests were made last New Year's. What is interesting -- last year fewer drivers let officers check their sobriety. Only eleven agreed to a breathalyzer, and a judge had to sign more than twice as many blood warrants.

Chris Lopez steered clear of the roads until Friday afternoon when he decided to take his dog for a walk down at Auditorium Shores.

"Home is where you need to be, that's how I see it now," said Lopez.

He rang in 2010 with one glass of wine with family at his sister's house.

"Sober as a judge," said Lopez with a laugh.

Chris has participated in the bar scene before, but said those days are behind him. He hopes police continue cracking down during the holidays.

"That causes a lot of accidents and a lot of heartache, so 'Im kinda glad they are doing that," said Lopez.

The 'no refusal' campaigns get plenty of criticism from local civil rights groups. This marks the seventh DWI blood warrant initiative by Austin police.