DWI Arrests on the Rise in Garden City

While DWI arrests county-wide have decreased 22 percent year-to-date, arrests made in the village of Garden City for the same offense have risen 7 percent.

Citing a recent report by the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board (NCTSB), Trustee Andrew Cavanaugh, who serves as village board liaison to the Garden City Police Department, said, "Our arrests are up to 32 from 25 so it shows that our enforcement on that very important violation, or crime really, is extremely effective and indicative of the department's dedication to the safety of citizens and the safety of those who pass through."

The NCTSB is a division within the Nassau County Department of Public Works charged with educating the public about issues of traffic safety, including information about Nassau County's Alex's Law, DWI statistics and Nassau's Red Light Camera program.

Cavanaugh noted that the only person who's not a Nassau County employee serving on that board is Garden City police commissioner Kenneth Jackson.

As the department continues its aggressive driving campaign, Jackson reported that in late May, Garden City and MTA officers responded to the railroad tracks east of New Hyde Park Road for a report of a car on the tracks. The driver of the auto, a female 26-year-old from New Hyde Park, was traveling south on New Hyde Park Road before she mistakenly made a left turn onto the railroad tracks. An investigation revealed the driver had a .08 percent BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) level and was arrested for DWI and obstructing a railroad crossing.

That same month, Officer Byrd, while on patrol on Rockaway Avenue, discovered a one-vehicle crash at South Gate. The driver, a male 24-year-old from Garden City, was removed from the vehicle, which was on its side when the officer arrived on scene. The driver was subsequently arrested for DWI and possession of a switchblade knife and treated at a local hospital for minor injuries.

On June 5, an accident at the corner of Suffolk Lane and Fifteenth Street landed another Garden City resident in jail. A 56-year-old female crashed into the corner home's backyard, landing just feet away from children playing on a trampoline. The woman's blood alcohol content was .06 percent, police said. She was charged with driving while impaired and reckless driving.