NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - The New Philadelphia patrol post is shining light on the most recent OVI statistics for Tuscarawas County. 

Post Commander Lt. Mark Glennon says in Tuscarawas County there have been 177 OVI arrests made so far this year, down slightly from 216 arrests this time last year. Glennon says they are glad to see the decrease but will remain vigilant and continue their awareness campaigns to try and get that number even lower. 

“What I’d like to think is that we’re getting the message out there and people are understanding that consuming alcohol and operating a motor vehicle is not safe to do and that they’re finding better ways to get around or staying where they need to be at,” he says.

Glennon says something they are focused on is the number of drugged drivers, who get behind the wheel while on prescription or illegal narcotics. He says this year 56 people have been arrested this year alone.

“What changes are some of the thing that we’re going to notice when we’re talking to people because you’re not going to have that big odor of alcohol coming from that person so there’s some smaller things that we’re looking at and that the troopers are trained in to see and to recognize and to ask a few more questions and make sure people are fine to be operating in a motor vehicle,” he says. 

Statewide, troopers have made more than 10,000 OVI arrests and handled 380 crashes caused by impaired drivers that resulted in a fatality. 

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