‘This is 100% a preventable crime’:Bend Police report their officers made nearly 600 DUII arrests last year
(Update: Adding video, comments from police, MADD)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend Police said in 2024, nearly 600 drivers were arrested, accused of DUII.
"We encourage, the bar staff to stop serving alcohol to obviously intoxicated people," Cindy Ksenzulak, Bend Police traffic sergeant, said Tuesday. "Other than that, this town does serve a lot of alcohol, but we just encourage people to use good judgment. Don't drive if you're drinking. Use rideshare and use a designated driver."
So far in 2025, Bend Police said there have been 13 DUII arrests. Last year, Bend Police stopped 587 DUII drivers. In 2023, that number was 619, and in 2022 699.
An officer will go through a series of standardized field sobriety tests: horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk and turn, and one-leg stand.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD, is a nonprofit working to end drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and support victims and survivors of impaired driving crashes.
Program Director Candace Reid said, "As a mother myself, I'm proud to be a part of this and be that driving force to be that change. No one should have to get injured. No one should have to lose their life just being on the roads. This is 100% a preventable crime."
MADD monitors misdemeanor cases in Deschutes County, saying 73% of the arrests are male and 27% are female.
Deschutes County Court Monitoring Specialist Peggy Glass tells us about what it means to be a part of the organization.
"It means a lot to me to be able to serve and get that message out there," she said. "Collect these horrific statistics and (make) the public aware of just what a serious problem it is. Specifically, in Deschutes County, we have a really high incidence of drunk driving arrests."
Bad end to 2024, with 28 DUII arrests
The past year also ended in troubling fashion, with at least 28 DUII arrests in the last two weeks of 2024.
One driver who registered .22 percent blood-alcohol level (nearly three times the legal limit) had a child in the car. Four involved crashes, while two drove the wrong way on a one-way street through downtown Bend.
The agency also said its officers responded to 75,335 calls for service last year - "down a little bit from 2023, but still more than 200 calls for service a day."
"If you're a victim of a crime, know that you can always call 911 or nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 to report it. You can also use bendpolicereports.com to report many crimes as well."
Other 2024 Bend PD stats
On a more positive note, Bend PD officers and associates logged more than 2,800 "Community Enhancement" hours during the year - positive interactions with the community, from downtown foot patrols to visits to school events and presentations at senior living facilities.
Police also flew their drones more than 1,500 times, including more than 900 at events such as crash scene mapping, clearing buildings and searching for suspects.
And drug-detection K-9 Bonnie was deployed 54 times, sniffing out nearly 43 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 37 pounds of fentanyl powder, 2,460 fentanyl pills and nearly five pounds of heroin, helping officers seize five guns, nearly $11,000 in cash and making 41 arrests.
