Police ramping up enforcement for New Year's Eve as drunk driving deaths surge across DMV
Police ramping up enforcement for New Year's Eve as drink driving deaths surge across DMV
The father of a Montgomery County police officer who was killed by a drunk driver eight years ago this month is speaking out this New Year’s weekend, as data shows drunk driving deaths are surging nationwide.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - The father of a Montgomery County police officer who was killed by a drunk driver eight years ago this month is speaking out this New Year’s weekend as data shows drunk driving deaths are surging nationwide.
Rich Leotta’s son, Noah, was hit and killed by a drunk driver in December 2015, tragically while on patrol for drunk drivers.
"Basically, Noah was killed by the exact same crime he was trying to protect us from," Rich Leotta told FOX 5.
But in those eight years, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows the problem has only gotten worse, with drunk driving deaths rising close to 30 percent between 2012 and 2021.
This weekend, cops across the DMV region say they are stepping up enforcement. FOX 5 had exclusive access as Virginia State Police operated a DUI checkpoint on Route 50 in Loudoun County Friday night.
And in neighboring Fairfax County, the police department’s DWI task force recently doubled in size.
"Year-to-date, the Fairfax County Police Department has already arrested more than 1,900 people for driving while intoxicated and year-to-date, last year we were at about 1,600," FCPD Captain Daniel Spital said.
In Montgomery County, police tell FOX 5 they’ve made at least 108 drunk driving arrests since their Holiday Alcohol Task Force started on Nov. 8.
Now, Leotta is lobbying Maryland lawmakers to close a loophole in Noah’s law, that allows suspected drunk drivers who get probation instead of a conviction, to bypass the required ignition interlock breathalyzer system.
"For me, my goal is to continue Noah’s effort. That’s my way of grieving," Leotta said. "To make sure that what he was trying to do that night, continues and he continues making a difference. He would want that and I’m going to continue doing that until my dying breath."