Over 1,100 Arrested in MN During Labor Day DWI Campaign

Law enforcement arrested more than 1,100 people for impaired driving in Minnesota during a Labor Day DWI campaign.

267 law enforcement agencies across Minnesota participated in the DWI campaign, which included extra patrols, awareness and education from Aug. 18 through Sept. 4.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, officers, deputies, and troopers arrested 1,140 drivers for impaired driving. 125 drivers were cited for violating Minnesota’s Move Over Law.

Examples of some of the impaired driving arrests include the following:

• Blooming Prairie police arrested a driver for first-degree DWI, where the driver had five prior convictions in the last 10 years.
• A Minnesota State Patrol trooper in the Marshall district responded to a crash where an intoxicated driver rear-ended another vehicle at a stop sign. A breath test showed the driver had a .33 blood alcohol level.
• The Winona County Sheriff’s Office arrested the same driver twice in three days for DWI.

The highest blood alcohol levels recorded in an arrest was a .44 testing in Nobles County and a .43 by the St. Paul Police Department.

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office recorded the most arrests by any agencies in greater Minnesota with 23, tying the Minnesota State Patrol Duluth district, which also recorded 23.