AUSTIN -- The arrest reports are coming in from the Super Bowl DWI crackdown.
Austin police held a No Refusal initiative from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. on game night. According to arrest documents, officers arrested at least 11 suspected drunk drivers.
Under the department's No Refusal policy, each driver had to submit to either a breath or blood test. If they refused, officers got a search warrant to draw blood.
This is the fourth year for Austin police to enforce the No Refusal policy over Super Bowl Sunday.
Last year, APD officers made 24 DWI arrests on game day. They had 12 blood draws from suspected drunk drivers who refused a breath test. Six of the drivers tested double the legal limit.
"We have a zero tolerance for drunk driving in the city of Austin. We don't apologize for our very aggressive enforcement action and most importantly our aggressive No Refusal initiatives," said APD Chief Art Acevedo.
According to APD, about 24 percent of last year’s traffic fatalities were alcohol-related.
Recently state lawmakers passed a bill which categorized DWI offenses with drivers whose blood alcohol level measured at or above .15 as a Class A misdemeanor. It carries a maximum sentence of one year confinement in jail and a $4,000 fine for first time offenders. The law went into effect on Sept. 1.
Legal experts say the fees and expenses of a first time DWI in Texas can cost up to $17,000.
