Those toasting St. Patrick should find another driver

Officers will target 15 counties with high rates of drunken drivers

Star Tribune

Last update: March 14, 2008 - 8:10 PM

A warning to St. Patrick's Day revelers from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety: Don't drive drunk.

Law officers from the state's 15 counties with the most impaired-driving arrests will be out in force as part of Operation NightCAP during the weekend celebrations.

The targeted counties include Anoka, Beltrami, Blue Earth, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright.

In the past three years, 1,263 drivers have been arrested for drunken driving on St. Patrick's Day and four people have died in alcohol-related crashes.

Law enforcement expect a spike in impaired driving this year because many places will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Saturday. Last year, when St. Patrick's Day fell on a Saturday, 526 people were cited for drunken driving, officials said.

TIM HARLOW