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Convicted Drunk Drivers to Begin Random Chemical Testing

Convicted drunk drivers will begin random urine analysis Monday. The drug and alcohol testing is a requirement imposed by Magistrate Court judges for each offender convicted after June 1st this year.

Drunk drivers convicted of DWI for their first, second or third time must call every day between 5 AM and 8 AM to determine if they must report to provide a sample. Each offender is assigned to an animal group, dog, cat, bird, turtle, bear or fish. If their animal group name is called for that day they must report to Millennium Treatment Services on St. Michael’s Drive for testing between 7 AM and 9 AM.

Any violation, a positive test for alcohol or illicit drugs or not reporting, the court is informed and further sanctions may be imposed by the judge. Each offender is supervised by the Santa Fe County DWI Program staff to track and report compliance to the court.

“Historically DWI offenders have had treatment for alcohol related issues as part of their sentence. We fully expect to find that there are other substance abuse complications for some offenders. This program will help us identify those problems and allow the courts to assign more treatment options for our clients,” said Lupe Sanchez, DWI Program Coordinator.

The Santa Fe County DWI Program is funding the contract for this pilot program with $14,000 from the program budget funded by the New Mexico Liquor Excise Tax.