Austin police to enforce No Refusal through January

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department will be enforcing a No Refusal Initiative from now until January.

The initiative began Wednesday and will end on Saturday, Jan. 4 and will be in operation from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.

APD says the initiative is an effort to enforce DWI laws and keep the public safe by encouraging drivers to make responsible decisions.

During No Refusal, detectives will apply for a blood search warrants in cases where a driver under arrest for driving while impaired refuses to provide a voluntary sample of breath or blood.

The Austin Transportation Department has some resources online to help those celebrating the holiday get home safe instead of drinking and driving.

During last year's initiative, APD arrested 43 people for DWI offenses, including four for Class A Misdemeanor DWI with a prior conviction, four for Felony DWI with two or more prior convictions and one for Felony DWI with a child passenger.