Drugs and alcohol are recurring themes in the daily operations of the courts in Butler County.

In the seven district judge's courtrooms, cases are heard daily which either are the direct result of someone's use of drugs or alcohol or the indirect result of someone's bad judgment where drugs and alcohol are concerned.

In the courthouse, in juvenile court, in domestic relations, in family court and civil court, there are many examples of the pain and tragedy these substances cause for countless parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors.

These cases show the need to have a DUI Task Force and a Fatal Crash Reconstruction Team.

Here is what those groups do:

The Butler County District Attorney's office has had a DUI Task Force for years.The office receives money from the state to conduct sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and other enhanced enforcement programs.In 2005 the task force conducted six checkpoints and 12 roving patrols. So far in 2006, there have been four checkpoint with two more scheduled and 11 roving patrols.We know from the research alone that sobriety checkpoints save lives. We also know that generally 85 to 90 percent of Americans support sobriety checkpoints.The Labor Day weekend activities resulted in over 20 DUI arrests as well as 4 drug arrests, 7 traffic citations issued and 22 traffic warnings. There were also 3 underage drinkers charged, 4 caught driving with suspended licenses and 5 speeding tickets, as well as assorted other citations filed.The task force is coordinated by Sgt. Steve Evanko of the Butler City Police and Scott Roskovski, a county detective.In 2005 the Court of Common Pleas created a special court specifically to deal with DUI offenders. In 2005, 1,032 cases were processed there.This year as of the end of August we have processed 1,007 people. We have 8 more court sessions scheduled through the end of December 2006, but the numbers are staggering.DUI offenses carry mandatory sentences depending on which number the offense is over the course of a person's lifetime, and the individual's blood alcohol content.

Detective Patrick Cannon coordinates the Butler County District Attorney's Drug Task Force. Officers from all departments participate in the task force and are constantly working to eliminate drugs and drug dealers from our community.Joint investigations with the state attorney general's office and the State Police Troop D Vice Unit are on-going.The task force maintains a confidential drug tip line at 866-363-3784 for anyone to call and anonymously leave information for investigators to pursue.So far this year Detective Cannon has had 64 arrests himself for the Drug Task Force. In July, Butler County had its first conviction for delivery of methamphetamine following a jury trial. The defendant was sentence Sept. 11, 2006.The Drug Task Force has been in its current form since June of 2006. It is made up of two teams, one in the northern area of the county and one in the southern area. It is made up of officers from most of the municipalities in the county.The task force has made about 750 arrests, the majority of which have been felony arrests. Also in that period, there has only been one case dismissed.In 2203, there were 72 arrests. In 2004, there were 111 arrests, and in 2005, there were 97 arrests.So far this year, 73 people have been arrested.The number one drug of choice in the county after alcohol is heroin and it has been for several years. Cocaine and crack cocaine run a close second.The task force continues to battle those and other drugs in the county.

Act 24 of 2003 amended Pennsylvania’s driving under the influence laws. It decreased the driving under the influence blood alcohol content from .10 percent to .08 percent.In addition to lowering the DUI limit, the new state law created a tier system for blood alcohol levels exceeding the minimum DUI percentage.• .08 percent to .099 percent is considered general impairment• .10 percent to .159 percent is considered a high rate of alcohol• .16 percent and above falls under the highest rateEach level of DUI carries a set of penalties for drivers.<i>SOURCE: www.pa-drunkdrivinglawyer.com</i>

Under general impairment, .08 percent to .099 percent, first and second offenses are ungraded misdemeanors, while a third or more offenses are second-degree misdemeanors.For a <B>FIRST OFFENSE</B> of general impairment, there is no license suspension. The driver faces these penalties:• Up to six months of probation• A $300 fine• Attending alcohol safety school• Treatment when ordered.Penalties for a <B>SECOND OFFENSE</B> are:• A one-year driver’s license suspension• A five-day to six-month prison term• A $300 to $2,500 fine• Alcohol highway safety school• Treatment when ordered• A one-year ignition interlock.

EVERY DAY, 3 TEENS DIE FROM DRIVING DRUNKFor underage drinking, .02% in Pennsylvania, offenders can:• Be fined $500• Have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days