DUI patrols set for St. Patrick’s Day weekend

Vancouver police and other Clark County law enforcement have planned heightened DUI enforcement for this coming weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The Vancouver, Battle Ground and Ridgefield police departments along with Washington State Patrol will have additional officers on the roads pulling over suspected drunken drivers starting Saturday.

The officers are all trained in drug recognition, too, according to a Vancouver Police Department press release.

Washington State Patrol will also have its Mobile Impaired Unit on hand for the holiday emphasis. The unit “is a self-contained 36-foot motorhome retrofitted as a mobile DUI processing center and incident command post,” the press release says.

The motorhome is equipped with three breath test instruments, workstations and a remote dispatching console. Troopers called it a full-service police station on wheels.

“Whether it’s green beer, or another type of green, getting behind the wheel impaired could mean a DUI, so don’t plan on luck, just plan ahead,” VPD said.

Uber is offering first-time users a special coupon code for $25 toward their first trip. Drivers can obtain the discount by visiting the company’s website and entering the code RIDEHOMEVANC.