SPD: DUI arrests up for the year

Captain of the Sheridan Police Department, Tom Ringley, made an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse to discuss the greatest threat to public safety in the community. 

Through the end of September of this year, the SPD made 111 DUI arrests. The Captain said this is up from 75% from the same year-to-date last year and above the YTD average of 106 for 2018-2022.

Capt. T. Ringley 

Through September of 2024, the SPD has investigated 17 traffic crashes in which alcohol consumption was a contributing factor. The YTD average for the previous five years is 16 crashes.

According to Ringley, controlled substances have been contributors as well. The SPD only tests for alcohol if alcohol alone is enough for probable cause for arrest. But in many cases this year, more was required. Ringley reports that 11.3% of all driving under the influence arrests were DUI/Drug related.

The SPD’s primary mission is public safety. When DUI numbers increase, public safety is compromised, leading to increased efforts and campaigns. 

Captain Ringley has stated in the past that after decades on the force, he feels high arrest numbers are not an indicator of good policing. He and other SPD leadership feel that good policing is indicated by the absence of crime in a community.

SPD leadership does not reward tallies on the arrests made by officers and would like to see the number of DUI arrests be reduced in the next year. 

Capt. T. Ringley 

Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Addiction and Internal Medicine Clinic uses Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), an evidence-based treatment method in which medication is used therapeutically to assist with decreasing severity of withdrawal and reducing the intensity of cravings.

Many Alcoholic’s Anonymous groups meet throughout the Sheridan community. A search engine quarry should provide a list of meeting times and locations.