From Laura Ryan, LRADAC – Driving under the influence is a problem throughout the year but with the significant numbers of year-end DUIs and alcohol related deaths top of mind this time of year,

LRADAC’s Alcohol Enforcement Team is sponsoring a comprehensive DUI education training program for Midlands law enforcement officers and prosecutors from Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, McCormick, Saluda, and Edgefield Counties. Hosted by the Cayce Police Department, “Don’t Fear the Dark Side” is designed as a DUI “building blocks” education seminar to enhance DUI identification for local law enforcement officers and prosecutors along with courtroom training on building better cases to help curb and successfully prosecute DUIs. Law enforcement personnel from several departments met Thursday at Solomon’s Porch at Trinity Baptist, in Cayce for the DUI prosecution training.

“In 2019, there were nearly 22,000 DUI arrests made in South Carolina with 283 fatalities involving an alcohol impaired driver,” said Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan. “The statistics in the Midlands are particularly sobering with the latest numbers from the South Carolina County-Level Profiles on Substance Use-Related Indicators creating one of the highest ever levels of concern by law enforcement.  Citizens must change their behaviors and not turn a blind eye to this increasing problem.”

Cowan says the first day of “Don’t Fear the Dark Side” training is specifically designed for emerging law enforcement officers to help them increase their impaired driving enforcement skills with the remaining two days of training to include an interactive course designed for law enforcement officers and prosecutors on how to testify under direct and cross examination and how to build better cases with role playing in different courtroom scenarios. “Don’t Fear the Dark Side” will be facilitated by Integrated Impaired Driving Solutions, LLC.

For more information, contact Dave Kopenhaver at [email protected] or 843-729-6810 or Laura Ryan, AET Coordinator, at [email protected] or 803-403-3351.