METRO POLICE
An officer conducts a field sobriety test on a driver suspected of driving while impaired in Las Vegas.
Friday, Dec. 14, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Impaired motorists hitting Las Vegas Valley roads likely won’t immediately spot the discreetly marked vehicles occupied by officers who are ready to stop, handcuff and book them.
The four Metro Police officers and three Nevada Highway Patrol troopers — who comprise the recently revealed DUI Strike Team — are skilled DUI investigators acquainted with problem areas, officials said.
The team is the first of its kind in the valley, officials said. Its sole mission will be to patrol roads — including highways — that see increased impaired driving during certain times.
Law enforcement agencies in Nevada last year counted 99 people who died in DUI-related traffic crashes, a number officials partly attributed to 24-7 alcohol availability, and pot legalization.
Their work, which began Oct. 24, has been promising, with their DUI arrest tally surpassing 150, officials said.
“Impaired driving has been an epidemic consistently plaguing the valley and is a common cause of motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries and death,” officials said.
One of the officers in a picture of the team is Metro's Andrea Simon, who the agency has touted as one of its best at spotting intoxicated drivers.
During a ride-along about a year ago, she spoke about the range of excuses she hears from people she’s put behind bars.
“Do you know how many times I hear, “I’m OK, no, no, I’m not drunk,” Simon said. “I’m not asking you if you’re drunk, I’m telling you that you’re drunk. That’s my observation. I know what I see, I know what I smell.
“They’re trying to believe themselves that they’re good to drive, but they’re not,” she said.
