Austin Police arrested 32 people between 9:00 p.m. Saturday and 4:00 a.m. Sunday on driving while intoxicated charges as part of its most recent 'No Refusal Initiative' weekend.
Of the 32 arrests, 11 stemmed from blood draws in which police got a search warrant for the draws. That's the essence of the initiative; if a driver refuses a breath test, police get a warrant to perform a blood test on the driver instead.
Police arrested 19 drivers who consented to a breath test and one who agreed to a blood test. One person was arrested after a mandatory blood draw associated with a previous DWI felony.
Labor Day Saturday a year ago, APD arrested just 26 people on suspicion of DWI. In the most recent 'No Refusal' weekend, Fourth of July weekend of 2010, Austin Police made 25 DWI arrests.
