Pinellas And State Law Enforcement Agencies To Conduct County Wide DUI Wolf Pack Tonight
Updated: May 28, 2016
Results of Wolf Pack (obtained from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
Criminal charges:
9 DUI -vehicle
1 DUI- motorcycle
1 Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding (Motorcycle)
1 Felony Tampering with Evidence
1 Violation of Probation (Felony)
1 Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
1 Warrant Arrest (Misdemeanor)
8 Misdemeanor Driving While License Suspended and/or Revoked with Knowledge
4 Possession of a Controlled Substance (Misdemeanor)
5 Possession of a Controlled Substance (Felony)
8 Other Misdemeanor Arrests
Total Criminal Charges – 40
Citations:
17 Driving while License Suspended and/or Revoked with Knowledge
1 Underage .02 Violation
30 Speeding
8 No Insurance
2 Open containers
29 Other Non-Moving Violations
23 Other Moving Violations
6 Seatbelt Violations
Total Citations – 116
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May 27, 2016
Pinellas County Deputies in conjunction with Tarpon Springs Police Department, Clearwater Police Department, Indian Shores Police Department, Kenneth City Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol and Gulfport Police Department will conduct a DUI Wolf Pack operation.
The operation will begin at 7 PM on Friday, May 27th and continue until 5 AM Saturday, May 28th.
This operation is part of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s on-going commitment to reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage associated with traffic crashes related to impaired driving. The goal of the Wolf Pack is to educate people and create public awareness about the dangers of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and any chemical or controlled substances.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Remove Impaired Drivers USA (RID), and the Suncoast Safety Council will be providing food to law enforcement during the operation according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office states they will be conducting Wolf Packs and DUI checkpoints continuously throughout the year. However, the Sheriff’s Office has not held a DUI checkpoint since late 2014. There has been discussion nationwide in regards to a video that was made New Year’s Eve (2014). The video was posted on Youtube by a group from FreeDUI.org that made a flier that was being displayed along with the person’s drivers license and proof of insurance. Many claim that this display meets the legal requirements while not requiring the driver’s window to be rolled down.
In response to the video, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri made it clear that he could still arrest and charge a driver with obstruction of justice. Many people were angered by his comments at what they consider a violation of an individual’s rights. They promised to travel to Pinellas County to the next DUI checkpoint which would most definitely begin a long drawn out and complicated legal case. In contrast, a Wolf Pack places many officers on the road but requires some type of probable cause before initiating a traffic stop.