Austin police arrested 24 people and charged them driving while intoxicated on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as part of the department's "No Refusal" initiative, according to statistics released today.

Details.

It is worth looking at the statistics released by APD. Several compliments come to mind:

1. Congratulations on a 100% success rate in conducting stops, investigations and arrests that resulted in scientific proof of guilt. That suggests police have good policies for conducting preliminary evaluations through field sobriety tests and interrogation.

2. Congratulations on helping the media and public understand that drunk driving doesn't involve people getting caught after having only one or two drinks. Every single defendant clearly drank too much.

3. Congratulations on saving your county and city substantial expenditures down the line, as it is unlikely that any of those defendants will demand a jury trial. That means the court docket moves quicker, police don't waste time sitting in the hallway and prosecutors move on to other cases.

4. Congratulations on restoring respect to law enforcement. For too long, we have tolerated advice to drunks that they should just refuse to cooperate and deprive society of evidence of guilt and protection against drunk driving.

5. Congratulations on advancing the use of reliable forensic evidence. Even criminal defense attorneys agree that blood tests are the most reliable method of determining blood/alcohol concentrations in drunk drivers.

The TDCAA forums need a "Like" button. Great work!

Well done.