A warning to St. Patrick's Day revelers from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety: Don't drive drunk.
State law enforcement officials from the 15 counties with most impaired-driving arrests will be out in force as part of Operation Nightcap, which stands for Nighttime Concentrated Alcohol Patrol.
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 DWI on St. Patrick's Day and four people have died in alcohol-related crashes. Law enforcement officials expect a spike in impaired driving this year since many places will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Saturday. St. Patrick's Day is officially celebrated on Monday.
Last year when St. Patrick's Day fell on a Saturday, 526 people were arrested for DWI, officials said.
