Montgomery County police defend decision to disband DUI unit due to staffing shortage

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Montgomery County Police officials are defending their decision to disband a specialized unit that targets drunk drivers. 

What we know:

It comes as officials say the department is 200 officers short of its staffing needs. Leaders said the decision was a strategic one as there are not enough recruits to keep up with the number of retirements and officers leaving. 

The department decided to dissolve its five-member Alcohol Initiatives Unit and put those officers back on patrol.

The DUI unit had been working nights and early mornings Wednesdays through Saturdays for the past two decades. 

Officials said the department's rank and file officers have been making many more DUI arrests than the Alcohol Initiatives team.

So far this year, 342 DUI arrests were made by patrol officers, compared to the 95 arrests made by the specialized unit. 

"So 78% of all arrests in Montgomery County for DUI are coming from our patrol division, the same patrol division that I cannot continue to deplete by making or keeping these specialized units," said Montgomery County Police Assistant Chief David McBain. "Would I love to have this unit established and robust and the numbers where they used to be? Sure. But we're just not in those times right now. Tough decisions have to be made, so I didn't take it lightly."

Officer killed by drunk driver

The decision is especially sensitive considering Montgomery County Police lost one of its own officers to a drunk driver. 

Noah Leotta was killed on Rockville Pike in 2015. His father, Rich, helped to inspire Noah’s Law in Maryland, which cracked down on drunk driving. 

READ MORE | Maryland lawmakers close 'Noah’s Law' loophole, further cracking down on drunk driving

"My initial reaction was disappointment. But then I did think back to Noah. And I said, Noah was not on a specialized unit. He volunteered for the Alcohol Task Force, but he was doing many things. But as long as officers continue to make this a regular part of their duties and don't slack off, and there's no diminishment in protection to the community, I'm okay with it," Rich Leotta said. 

Montgomery County police said they will still do DUI checkpoints and specialized holiday enforcement. 

"They are critically short, several hundred police officers, and they're making some decisions as to how to best police the department with the resources they have," McBain said. "I knew Noah Leotta. I knew that this county has always been a very strong voice in terms of taking aggressive steps to address drunk driving. We just need more young people to come forward."

Officials said they have no plans to eliminate any other specialized units.