Seattle Police Department officers helped keep Seattle’s streets and community members safer last month, thanks to a holiday season DUI enforcement campaign. Their work resulted in 724 motorist contacts, raising awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired.
The final tally for the SPD DUI emphasis team’s operation between Dec. 3-31 shows that officers also issued 498 citations and made 107 arrests. In addition to DUI arrests, they arrested 27 individuals for investigation of unrelated crimes.
SPD’s hand-selected, seven-person team for this year’s DUI emphasis featured highly trained, experienced officers who have a passion for this work. The team worked nightly from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m., in neighborhoods across the city.
“We’re proud to have brought back our annual December DUI effort in 2025 for the first time since 2019, thanks to support from Chief Barnes and the entire Command staff,” said Capt. Randy Ward. “This important initiative undoubtedly saved lives and prevented tragic collisions on our roadways.”
Six children were removed from vehicle stopped by officers, he said
“We see this effort tremendously impactful. It is impossible to estimate the number of lives we saved from collisions avoided,” Capt. Ward said.
Among the most notable stops was a teenage driver who officers stopped twice in one night, according to Acting Lt. Tom Heller.
“On a rainy Thursday night, a 17-year-old driver was stopped by a DUI officer in West Seattle for driving 38 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. He received a ticket. Apparently undeterred, 33 minutes later and two miles away, he was stopped by a different DUI officer for driving 54MPH in a 25MPH zone. He received another ticket,” Heller said.
On Dec. 6th, a 25-year-old man was arrested after crashing into two cars in Magnolia. Officers say a Nissan Rogue crashed into two parked vehicles before flipping sideways against a power pole. According to the police report, the Rogue driver was “heavily intoxicated” and had to be cut out of the vehicle by the Seattle Fire Department. Multiple 12-ounce beer cans were found on the ground near his car. The incident caused a significant road closure since the power pole was nearly severed in half.