11/21/12 - The Michigan State Police are encouraging those who choose to drink over the Thanksgiving weekend not to get cooked for drunk driving. The state police will once again be participating in an international effort to increase drunk driving patrols called the Combined Accident Reduction Effort, or Operation CARE, beginning today. The program has been in place for 35 years and involves law enforcement agencies in all fifty states, Washington DC, Canada, and the US territories. Sergeant Jill Bennett with the Michigan State Police tells WHMI that the MSP will put out extra patrols in 20 counties over the weekend and encourage other departments to increase their patrols as well. She says the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest bar night of the year, and increasing the visibility of patrols will help encourage people to comply with the law voluntarily. Sheriff Bob Bezotte says his department will be contributing to the effort as well with an extra three patrol cars monitoring county roads until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning every night. Last year in Michigan, seven people were killed by drunk drivers over the course of the Thanksgiving weekend. (TD)
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