Law enforcement to up DWI patrol for holidays

ROSWELL, N.M. — This holiday season, New Mexico law enforcement officials are asking you to spend your money on gifts, not the bar.

During the year, Chaves County, especially, sees a lot of drunk driving arrests.

“In Chaves County, we do have a great deal of DWI arrests, and it is a great problem here,” said Michael Brisco, a warden at the Chaves County Detention Center.

Around the holidays, officials say it gets worse.

“Usually every year, especially around the Christmas holiday, we do see a rise in DWI crashes. And that’s why our enforcement goes up,” said Roswell Police Chief Lance Bateman.

State Police, the sheriff’s office and Roswell police are all working together.

“We have a roadblock, a saturation patrol, it gets out fast that these things are happening. So people will take different routes to try to get home,” said Sheriff Mike Herrington, with the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office.

Just when you think you can get away with it…

“While we’re out on a roadblock, those agencies will be out around the perimeter. That’s how we catch a lot of drunk drivers,” Sheriff Herrington said.

They’re not trying to ruin the fun. They just want you to be safe.

“Everybody has a cell phone. Instead of getting behind the wheel under the Influence, call somebody for a ride,” Chief Bateman said.

“We want you to have a great time, we want you to have a good holiday. But we also want you to go home and talk about it the next day and not get killed on the way home or kill somebody else,” Sheriff Herrington said.

This, they say, is your warning.

“If you make the choice to drink and drive, you will end up behind bars in the Chaves County Detention Center,” Brisco said.