Police make 17 DUI arrests on St. Patrick's Day in KC, down considerably from last year

Kansas City police, with the help of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, arrested 17 people on suspicion of driving drunk on St. Patrick's Day.

Using multiple saturation patrols, officers targeted areas known for DUI-related arrests and crashes. They stopped 58 vehicles and issued 65 citations in addition to the 17 DUI arrests.

All but one of the DUI arrests came between 11 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday.

The number of arrests are down considerably from last year. 

Last year, 66 drivers were arrested during DUI checkpoints in Kansas City on St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Because St. Patrick's Day fell on a Friday, officers held checkpoints on two consecutive days. 

On St. Patrick's Day alone last year, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Jackson County Sheriff’s office and Kansas City police arrested 42 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Instead of checkpoints this year, Kansas City police and the Jackson County Sheriff's office relied on extra patrols specifically looking for drivers who might be driving drunk. The change in strategy came after Missouri legislators eliminated funding for DUI checkpoints last year.

This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Police make 17 DUI arrests on St. Patrick's Day in KC, down considerably from last year."