Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Papers to Publish DWI Offender Photos

By Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writer
Starting Saturday, photographs of convicted drunken drivers will be published in Albuquerque's two daily newspapers.
In addition to their photos, DWI offenders— or those who plead no contest to the charge— will have their names, ages and blood-alcohol content published in the Tribune and in the city distribution zone of the Journal.
For this Saturday, the photographs of 180 people, who were convicted in June, July and August, will appear in the newspapers. The information may be reprinted once or twice more this month.
Down the road, the photographs will probably appear once a month on a predetermined Saturday.
"What we hope to accomplish is to re-emphasize the message that DWI is taken very seriously," Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said Tuesday. "We want offenders to face a myriad of sanctions: from arrest, to court time, to the seizure of their vehicles, to the installation of ignition interlocks— and now public humiliation."
The ordinance that provides for the photographs' publication, introduced by City Councilor Michael Cadigan, was unanimously approved by the council in March. Mayor Martin Chávez later signed off on the law.
The measure applies to people convicted in the two courts that cover Albuquerque: Metropolitan Court and 2nd Judicial District Court.
Money to pay for the program will come from the profits on vehicles seized and sold under another city program that targets drunken drivers.
Chávez described the program as a "small tool in the fight against DWI, which is still a problem of horrific proportions."
"If this causes one person to get help, it was worth the investment," the mayor said. "One person getting help can make our roads a lot safer."
Chávez and Journal General Manager Brian Fantl agree the program likely won't do much to deter hardcore drinkers.
"Do some of these people even care if their pictures are published in the newspaper? I don't know," Fantl said. "From the newspaper's standpoint, though, I hope it becomes an effective tool because we need to do everything we can to help fight the problem of DWI here."