MN law enforcement arrests over 2,100 impaired drivers during holidays

Tougher MN DWI law takes effect Friday

A stricter DWI law is taking effect Friday in Minnesota. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the story.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A statewide campaign led to the arrest of over 2,100 impaired drivers during the holidays.

DWI arrests highlight dangerous driving 

What we know:

Law enforcement officers from 296 Minnesota agencies made 2,170 DWI arrests during the campaign. 

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety coordinated these efforts with federal funds.

Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety, said, "Every arrest represents a crash that didn’t happen, or a dangerous driver stopped before someone was hurt." 

Some arrests involved alarming situations, such as a driver with a BAC of 0.357 in Eagan, and a St. Paul driver found on an airport runway with a BAC of 0.12.

Authorities say a Columbia Heights officer was kicked in the chest during a stop of an impaired driver.

Spring Lake Park police also arrested an impaired driver with a blood alcohol content of .14 after the adult was driving their kids home from a choir concert.

South St. Paul police also stopped a drunk driver twice in a one-week period.

Metro and greater Minnesota BAC levels 

By the numbers:

Here is a look at some of the highest blood alcohol contents in the Twin Cities and outstate Minnesota:

Metro area highest BAC 

• Minnetonka Police Department: 0.38
• Eagan Police Department: 0.357
• New Brighton Police Department: 0.33
• St. Paul Police Department: 0.33
• Savage Police Department: 0.32

Greater Minnesota highest BAC

• Norman County Sheriff’s Office: 0.41
• Winsted-Lester Prairie Police Department: 0.40
• Wright County Sheriff’s Office: 0.38
• Bagley Police Department: 0.36
• Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office: 0.35

DWI arrests by agency

Dig deeper:

Here are the highest number of DWI arrests by agency in the Twin Cities, and outstate Minnesota:

Twin cities metro area arrests

• Minnesota State Patrol - west metro: 207
• Minnesota State Patrol - east metro: 111
• Minneapolis Police Department: 62
• St. Paul Police Department: 44
• Woodbury Police Department: 37

Greater Minnesota area arrests

• Rochester Police Department: 74
• Minnesota State Patrol - Rochester district: 45
• Bemidji Police Department: 41
• Wright County Sheriff's Office: 41
• Minnesota State Patrol - Virginia district: 34