Viking Fest brings more police patrols

Published 4:03 pm Friday, May 16, 2008

POULSBO — Anticipating the heavy traffic Viking Fest is notorious for garnering, law enforcement has scheduled extra patrols Saturday in and around Poulsbo.

Kitsap County Traffic Safety Task Force announced May 13 that officers will be looking for dangerous motorists, including those who speed or drive intoxicated or aggressively. This comes as part of the X-52 campaign, a collective effort on behalf of multiple law enforcement entities to stop speeding, tailgating and unsafe driving.

Kitsap County Sheriff Department, Washington State Patrol and the Police Departments of Bremerton, Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Suquamish and Bainbridge Island are all participating in the effort this weekend.

According to Kitsap County Deputy Sheriff Scott Wilson, between Jan. 1, 2007, and April 28 there were 536 arrests made as a result of DUI investigations in Kitsap County. In that same time frame, there were 35 fatal and serious injury accidents where drugs and/or alcohol were involved.

“Riding with someone who is impaired or driving impaired is simply not worth the risk,” said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer. “Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired are significant.”