The St. Patrick's Day weekend was apparently a busy one for law enforcement officers in the Gainesville Police Department and Hall County Sheriff's Office.
In an effort dubbed "PINCH out drunk driving," with the "PINCH" standing for Proactively Impacting Numerous Crash Hot spots, law enforcement made contact with 216 drivers in a 12-hour window that began at 3 p.m. Saturday, arresting 17 drivers for DUI in the process.
Officers also issued 63 citations for speeding, 16 for distracted driving and 73 for seatbelt violations, said Sgt. Kevin Holbrook, public information officer with the Gainesville Police Department.
"We started out early in the week letting people know that (law enforcement) was going to be out — that we were going to be aggressively enforcing DUI, most importantly," said Holbrook when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
"We even went as far as putting out a map early in the week, letting people know where would be."
Officers also had 47 "miscellaneous" contacts, which included child safety violations, drug arrests and drivers who had a suspended license, among other charges.
Holbrook said the public can expect more of these operations in the future, "to insure the roadways of Gainesville/Hall County are the safest in the state."
