Attention impaired drivers: Bluffton’s ‘Sober or Slammer’ campaign is looking for you

Bluffton police officers will increase enforcement throughout town in an effort to reduce drunken driving and DUI-related traffic deaths from now through the Labor Day weekend.

The police department, along with the S.C. Highway Patrol, will be strictly enforcing DUI laws as part of the statewide Sober or Slammer campaign, according to a Bluffton Police Department news release.

Since Memorial Day, the police department has arrested 45 people and charged them with driving under the influence. Memorial Day begins the “100 deadly days of summer” in terms of traffic crashes. In 2016, the department arrested 34 on the same charge during the same time period.

“It’s vital to educate the public on the dangers of driving while impaired, and for the public to know if you drive under the influence, Bluffton officers will be out there and arrest you,” Police Chief Joseph Manning said.

The department formed its two-officer traffic team in February of 2016 after receiving a $205,000 grant from the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Attention impaired drivers: Bluffton’s ‘Sober or Slammer’ campaign is looking for you."