24 Arrested in New Year's No-Refusal Initiative

Field Sobriety Test

The Austin Police Department released their statistics for the No-Refusal Initiative conducted over New Year's Eve and Day, and the report revealed that 24 people were arrested between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Among the 24 people arrested, 18 gave a breath sample. Five refused to provide a breath or blood sample, and had their blood drawn after a judge signed a search warrant on the spot. The remaining individual offered a blood sample voluntarily.

Nearly half of the people arrested during the night had a BAC of at least twice the legal limit, which is 0.08 in Texas.

The No-Refusal Initiatives have received criticism in the past from groups such as the ACLU of Texas, which says that requiring officers to bring suspects in for a blood draw when they refuse breathalyzer tests is a waste of the officers' time and diverts them away from watching for other impaired drivers.