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Are Police Disproportionately Targeting Charlotte Area Motorists?

Posted by Christopher Shumate | Dec 17, 2012 | 0 Comments

North Carolina Police operated a "Booze It and Loose It" campaign during the week of St. Patrick's Day (03/11/11 to 03/17/11). N.C. authorities made a total of 1,013 arrests pursuant to the campaign. N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti believes the campaign was a success. He indicated the campaign operated by highway patrol, local sheriff's offices, and local police resulted in over 1,000 DWI arrests.

However, some of the figures from the campaign are a bit troubling without further investigation and/or explanation. Police arrested 124 motorists for DWI in Mecklenburg County. Of the counties surrounding Charlotte, only Cabarrus (26 DWI arrests) had over 20 DWI arrests. Wake County only had 94 DWI arrests.

Mecklenburg and Wake counties are the two most populated counties in North Carolina. Thus, it stands to reason there would be higher incidents of arrests in these counties. However, the numbers do appear to be somewhat skewed / disproportionate.

Some specific statistics from the campaign include:

  • Mecklenburg County:
    • Checkpoints/patrols: 211
    • DWI arrests: 124
    • Speeding citations: 652
    • Total traffic citations: 2,522
  • Cabarrus County:
    • Checkpoints/patrols: 15
    • DWI arrests: 26
    • Speeding citations: 251
    • Total traffic citations: 915
  • Wake County:
    • Checkpoints/patrols: 124
    • DWI arrests: 94
    • Speeding citations: 815
    • Total traffic citations: 2541

About the Author

Christopher Shumate

Mr. Chris Shumate is a native of Gastonia, North Carolina, and worked various jobs while pursuing his undergraduate and Juris Doctor education, including several heavy manual labor and skilled trade positions. In his practice, Mr. Shumate often encounters circumstances where these prior experiences are helpful in representing you. Upon graduating law school from the University of South Carolina, Mr. Shumate joined one of the Carolinas' larger defense firms, where he represented a diverse set of employers and insurance companies in civil cases and workers' compensation claims across the Carolinas. Chris utilized this experience to obtain a working knowledge of the insurance industry, and build personal contacts used today in representing you. Mr. Shumate ultimately decided he wanted to focus his law practice on assisting those who have been injured, and doing so with the focus on a personal relationship that is uncommon in the bigger firms. Mr. Shumate's also has a passion for assisting those facing the challenges of the criminal legal system. By representing individuals in a variety of criminal and traffic matters, Mr. Shumate works to achieve the best possible result for each client regardless of the charges levied by the prosecution. Chris has tirelessly pursued his mission of helping people from all walks of life throughout the Carolinas with a variety of legal matters. If you are interested in learning more about Chris Shumate and The Shumate Law Offices, please contact us at 704.371.5059. We look forward to assisting you to achieve a positive result in your legal concern. Education J.D., University of South Carolina B.S., University of South Carolina Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice N.C. State BarS.C. State BarU.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina Professional & Bar Association Memberships N.C. Bar Association S.C. Bar Association Mecklenburg County Bar N.C. Academy Of Trial Lawyers American Association For Justice

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