Search results for "check points" ...

• DUI Arrests Plunge

  "Columbus, Ga. was a city in which drunken driving was a crime aggressively pursued in the past, including the use of task force operations and regular checkpoints to take DUI offenders off the roadways. But from 1997-2002, Columbus DUI arrests dropped more than 50 percent. By 2002, more than a third of all DUI arrests were the result of accidents, not enforcement measures." Reporter Jim Houston of the Ledger-Inquirer discovered this disturbing trend by using computer-assisted reporting to analyze such records as the state and superior court records of DUI offenses over five years and records of liquor licenses issued over the same period. Further investigation revealed that a double-digit manpower shortage of police officers, coupled with a lack of compliance, were partly to blame. A brief follow-up story published on June 21, 2003 is included as well, noting the effect of the original story on local law enforcement agencies - including the city police and county sheriff's department's decision to join forces on the DUI issue.

  Tags: drunk driving; drunk; drinking; DUI; DWI; drunken driving; arrest; arrests; alcohol; checkpoints; check points; liquor; beer; wine; CAR; court records; open records request; police; offense

  By Jim Houston

  Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.)

  2003

• Trouble at the Track

  The Star-Ledger investigates "the illegal medication of horses in New Jersey standardbred (harness) racing." The reporter points out that the subject is known within the industry but rarely discussed publicly even by racing magazines. The series' main findings are that doping is common, the tests to detect it are inadequate, and other measures such as random barn checks are not being implemented. "The state agency charged with policing the sport had allowed many of its drug offenders top continue racing as their cases dragged through appeals," the investigation reveals.

  Tags: New Jersey Racing Commission; FOIA requests; veterinary treatment; trainers; horses

  By Brad Parks

  Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)

  2001

• Fueling Controversy: How Many Inspectors Make Safety Checks in Alaska Oil Fields

  The Wall Street Journal reports on the inadequate control and regulation of the oil industry in Alaska. The article details the oil industry lobbying efforts before the state lawmakers, who believed oil companies were capable of monitoring pipeline corrosion themselves. The story reveals that only five oil-field safety inspectors supervise the drilling sites in the state, compared to nine employed by Indiana, "which takes a full year to produce the amount of crude oil that Alaska pumps in three days." The reporter points to the unusual practice of Alaskan inspectors to schedule their visits instead of using the element of surprise.

  Tags: Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation; Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission; pollution; environment; wildlife; regulation

  By Jim Carlton

  Wall Street Journal (New York)

  2001

• Psychout

  "When the Feds checked into Western Missouri Mental Health Center, what they saw was crazy," reports Pitch Weekly. The story sheds light on the death of a patient who suffocated with a piece of bread, and was not immediately helped. Some of the major findings are that " "the psychiatric hospital is far from a healing sanctuary, " and that "hospital staffers ... say they try to keep havoc at bay while the administration ignores their concerns." The investigation points to multiple examples of assaults committed by patients, as well as injuries suffered by both patients and staffers. The story reveals that the incidents have not been reporter to the state authorities, and that "psychologists have been instructed to complete documents in a way that they felt was fraudulent."

  Tags: hospitals; doctors; patients; psychiatry; assaults; negligence; medicine; health care; Western Missouri Mental Health Center

  By Deb Hipp

  Pitch Weekly (Kansas City, Mo.)

  2001