For the second year, The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to fund overtime for patrol deputies enforcing statutes related to drunk and drugged driving.  Deputies will be working these assignments over the Saint Patrick’s Day weekend March 14 through March 18, a time traditionally associated with parties and alcohol consumption.  The grant, totaling $3,000, is for the first half of 2014 and is expected to be renewed for enforcement efforts during the second half of the year as well.  Obtained through the efforts of Deputy Sheriff Ben Adair, the grant will fund high visibility patrols under “The Heat is On” statewide DUI enforcement program. 

With the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado last year, authorities are concerned that instances of driving under the influence of the drug will increase, as well as driving while impaired by the combining of marijuana and alcohol.  In 2013, working under a similar grant, sheriff’s deputies arrested fourteen motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Chaffee County.