C.O. police expect DUIIs to jump with legal pot

DUII arrest rates are quite similar across the three Central Oregon counties, and very few involve drugs a Prineville spokesman said Friday — but there is concern among top law enforcers that the numbers will “go through the roof” after marijuana is legalized July 1.

Driving under the influence of intoxicants is certainly a problem throughout Central Oregon Oregon, but the incidence of DUII arrests is no more prevalent in Prineville and Crook County than in Jefferson or Deschutes, a city spokesman said Friday.

Data supplied by the three Central Oregon sheriff’s departments, their respective police agencies and the Oregon Department of Transportation show year-over-year consistency during the five years reported 2010 through 2014, said city public information consultant Bill Mintiens.

In Crook County, DUII arrests are pretty evenly split between the sheriff and police departments. Total DUIIs were 98 in 2010, 90 in 2011, 107 in 2012, 66 in 2013, and 78 in 2014. The majority of these arrests, about 95 percent,, were for alcohol intoxication. The remaining 5 percent were for drugs.

While these numbers may seem high, when viewed as a percentage of the total county population, approximately 20,815, the percentage of intoxicated drivers is less than 1 percent, Mintiens noted.

And that percentage holds true for both Jefferson and Deschutes counties, even with Deschutes’ much larger population of 165,954. Jefferson County’s population, 21,145, is similar to Crook’s.

Prineville Interim Police Chief Les Stiles, with 30-plus years in law enforcement, believes the consistent year-over-year numbers can be seen a couple of ways.

“The consistent numbers can be good – or they can be bad,” he said. “It can be good in that, if we’ve got normal staffing, normal patrol coverage, the problem is not getting any worse.

“If we didn’t have the 73 in there (DUII arrests jumped in 2012) I would say that we don’t have a growing problem with respect to drinking and driving and that our enforcement rate is pretty standard.”

The legalization of marijuana in Oregon takes effect on July 1, and has law enforcement authorities in Crook County very concerned about rising DUII arrests.

“I’m terrified, and that’s not hyperbole,” Stiles said. “In Colorado, where marijuana is already legal, the percentage of injury accidents as a result of people being under the influence of marijuana is really going up pretty fast.”

Crook County Sheriff Jim Hensley agrees: “I will tell you that the numbers (DUIIs) are going to go through the roof.”

Both men say the state is not yet prepared to deal with an increasing number of intoxicated drivers.

State standards for marijuana intoxication levels have not been established, there is no Breathalyzer-type instrument like that used for alcohol levels, and Crook County does not currently have enough drug recognition experts, police officers trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs.

Plans are underway to increase the number of DRE officers in Crook County as quickly as possible.