The Warwick Police Department, along with officers from the North Kingstown PD, East Greenwich PD, West Warwick PD, Providence PD and troopers from the Rhode Island State Police will be participating in a Drunk Driving Enforcement Task Force on St. Patrick’s Day Friday, March 17 aimed at reducing incidents of drunk driving and traffic fatalities. 

The RIDOT Office of Highway Safety’s Breath Alcohol Testing Mobile Unit (B.A.T. Mobile) will be deployed in Warwick at 1689 Post Road (the Ann & Hope Lot) during the operation to aid officers/troopers in the processing and testing of suspected drunk drivers.

Also, Colonel Stephen M. McCartney and the Community Services Division of the Department announced the Safe Rides Program would be conducted for the third year in a row.  The Safe Rides Program is being done in collaboration with the Warwick Police Department and the Warwick Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.  

The goal is to reduce Driving Under the Influence (DUI) related crashes, reduce incidents of drunk driving, and offer residents an alternative to being arrested for DUI during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday in Warwick. Bars and liquor serving establishments throughout Warwick will be notified of the program and are encouraged to promote this free program to their patrons.       

Warwick residents are urged to call 468-4200 for a ride anytime between the hours of 6 p.m. and 12 midnight on St. Patrick’s Day. Citizen volunteers will be dispatched to establishments in the city and provide citizens a safe, free ride home anywhere within the city if they need a ride or have had too much to drink.   

For more information about the Safe Rides Program, contact the Warwick Police Department’s Community Policing Unit at 468-4371.