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JPD participating in 'Click it or Ticket'
The theme for this year's program is "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." During this time period, Chief Burge said the department will conduct sobriety checkpoints in various locations throughout the city. "We encourage citizens not to drink and drive," he said. "Drunk drivers cause many deaths each year and destroy the lives of innocent victims. We want to make sure that doesn't happen here." According to national statistics, drunk driving kills nearly 18,000 people and injures over 250,000 each year. Highly visible traffic enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, are some of the most effective tools being used by police departments across the nation to combat this problem. Although there has been gradual success in reducing the number of those who drink and drive during the past decade, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes have not significantly improved nationally in the past three years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that alcohol-related fatalities rose slightly from 17,400 in 2001 to 17,419 in 2002. An estimated 258,000 persons were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present-an average of one person injured approximately every two minutes. In Alabama, those charged with their first offense of DUI face up to one year in jail and fines from $600 to $2,100, plus suspension of their driver's license for 90 days. A second offense carries a one-year jail sentence and one-year driver's license suspension, plus $1,100 to $5,100 fine. Those convicted a third time face a $2,100 to $10,100 fine and a mandatory 60 days to one year of jail time. In addition the driver's license is revoked for three years. A fourth DUI offense is considered a felony and carries a 1-10 year prison sentence.
In Jackson, first, second and third DUI cases are heard in municipal court. A driver charged with felony DUI must appear in circuit court.
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