Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway Announces Regional DUI Training

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced that his office will again host training for police officers and local prosecutors about the effective prosecution of DUI cases. The regional DUI training will be held Wednesday, March 28 through Friday, March 30 at the Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront in Covington, Ky. The training is coordinated through the Attorney General's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Program. The goal of the training is to create a team building approach in the detection, apprehension and prosecution of impaired drivers.

"Through our regional trainings, we can coordinate with police, traffic safety experts, prosecutors and victims' support agencies to ensure tough consequences for impaired drivers in the Commonwealth," General Conway said. "It is vital that we continue to provide police and prosecutors with the tools they need to effectively enforce Kentucky's DUI laws."

According to the Kentucky Transportation Center's analysis of traffic crash data (2005-2009), the total number of alcohol-related crashes in 2009 decreased by 5 percent compared to the previous five-year average. However, alcohol-related collisions still account for a disproportionate amount of the fatalities. Alcohol-related crashes in Kentucky were a mere 4.1 percent of the total collisions in 2009, but they accounted for 26 percent of the fatalities.

Entitled "Protecting Lives, Saving Futures," the training is funded through the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety with grant funds provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Assistance for this training has been provided by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety and the Kentucky State Police.

"The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and our Office of Highway Safety, look forward to continuing a very effective partnership with the Office of the Attorney General to provide funding in support of the Commonwealth's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor," said Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock, who is the Governor's Representative for Highway Safety. "Robert Stokes has done an exceptional job in conducting training workshops and coordinating training opportunities for both law enforcement and prosecutors throughout the state. It is not only our responsibility, it is a priority of this administration to provide all highway safety professionals with the tools and resources they need to save and protect lives on our highways."

Representatives of the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving also plan to attend the training.

"MADD strongly supports the Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Program and commends the Attorney General's office for implementing this program," said Kristen White, MADD Kentucky Victim Advocate. "We are grateful to be invited to participate in the training and hope to shed light on the long-lasting effects that drunk driving crashes create for victims and survivors. Drunk driving is a serious crime. Trainings such as these help ensure that the criminal justice system address DUI charges consistently and effectively, which ultimately helps protect society from needless death and injury."

The training is presented under the direction of the American Prosecutors Research Institute's (APRI) National Traffic Law Center and is open to the media.

Additional trainings through the OAG's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor program will be offered in other parts of the state later this year.