State Grant to Help Cranbury Address Drunken Driving

For the past six years, the Cranbury Police Department has taken part in a program aimed at curtailing drunken driving.

The plan, which runs for a brief period of time, is fueled by a state grant called Over the Limit, Under Arrest, and provides the township with $4,400, earmarked to pay for police overtime.

Since the campaign began in 2004, 27 people have been arrested in Cranbury for drunken driving during the program’s timeframe. Beginning on Aug. 19 and running through Sept. 5, Over the Limit, Under Arrest will be back in Cranbury, and while police have the grant money they hope that there will not be any cause to charge anyone with DUI in the township.

“Obviously you don’t want drunk drivers out there, but unfortunately the way statistics indicate, there are still drunk drivers out there and hopefully with additional officers, and the with the extra ability, if there are drunk drivers we are able to find them and stop them,” said Lt. Frank Dillane, of the Cranbury Police Department.

“Yes the campaign helps during the time period but eventually people become complacent after awhile,” Dillane said. “Following the campaign, people feel that there are less officers out there and they go back to their old habits. That’s why we go back to the programs.”

The Over the Limit, Under Arrest program features directed targeted patrols and informational brochures, which will be given out to all drivers who are stopped, as education tools to make them aware of the dangers of drunken driving and that the campaign is happening throughout the state.

Dillane said that the primary areas where drunken or impaired drivers are stopped are along the Route 130 corridor, and on the back roads of Cranbury. While police normally have two to three officers on patrol at night, during the campaign there will be an additional one to two patrol officers.

“This program is a great way to supplement our patrol,” Cranbury Police Chief Rickey Varga said. “It not only helps us, but it helps the state. It helps us all keep our families, keep our children, keep the people that are out there safe from drunk drivers.”

According to the Division of Highway Traffic Safety of New Jersey in 2009, there were 149 people killed as a result of alcohol-related crashes. That number represents 25 percent of the 583 traffic fatalities reported in the state that year.

“Many people believe that after just a few drinks, they’re safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety of New Jersey, in a statement. “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”

According to police, during the 2010 Over the Limit, Under the Influence campaign, in which the state provided Cranbury with $3,350, there were three drunken driving arrests. In 2009, nine arrests for drunken driving were made by police when the township received a $6,000 grant from the state for the program.

Dillane said that in addition to the DUI arrests, a host of other unrelated DUI arrests were made due to the traffic stops including outstanding warrants, suspended licenses and drug charges.

Cranbury Police said there were 66 DUI stops in 2010, as compared to 47 in 2009, 38 in 2008 and 33 in 2007.

According to Varga, “We restructured the police department and formed squads — with each squad having a sergeant. We encouraged them to work very hard. They are aggressively trying to enforce DUI.”.

Overall, Dillane said that he sees a decline in drunken driving on the roads throughout the state for several reasons.

“The stats are improving because campaigns like this run throughout the year,” he said. “The penalties are very stiff in New Jersey and insurance companies are involved and have high surcharges. It’s a combination of enforcement, education and awareness.”

Committee member Jay Taylor does not just look at the significance of the numbers behind the DUI arrests, but said he feels as though there is more of a personal importance to DUI safety.

“Cranbury is a small town where we're truly the Norman Rockwell picture of neighbors speaking over the fences,” Taylor said. “Our officers view themselves not as employees, but as vested members of our community.”

“They work on knowing our residents and make efforts to know the kids in town. If we were to have a DUI accident occur, that (could) take a life of a resident, and I think our community would be shaken to our core. As such, I know our officers from the chief down will do everything they can to try and prevent a tragedy from occurring here.”