SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- Police in Georgetown are the busiest they've been since the start of the pandemic.
Last year, citations nearly doubled. Warnings increased by about 50 percent. DUI's nearly doubled as well.
Police Chief Ralph Holm says the numbers stand out in the small town.
"We are concerned with DUI's as a whole," Chief Holm said. "I'm not in a panic mode with it just because every crime to include DUI's ebbs and flows."
When it comes to traffic stops in Millsboro, Police Chief Brian Calloway told WRDE that the pandemic seemed to have played a role in trends.
During the pandemic, Millsboro saw about 1,000 to 2,000 traffic stops a year while much before the pandemic, there were about 4,000 a year.
Both Millsboro and Georgetown police say numbers were down during the height of the pandemic because fewer drivers were on the road. That's no longer the case.
According to data from the Delaware Office Of Highway Safety, drunk driving arrests in Sussex County have been about the same, but DUI drug arrests have increased.
The state says its partnering with local police departments to keep the roads safer.
"We'll work with them to set up overtime patrols throughout the year," Deputy Director Richard Klepner said. "Our next one coming up is scheduled to be Super Bowl Weekend through Saint Patrick's Day weekend. We look at the times of the year where we see increases in DUI arrests and crashes."
Chief Holm says addressing addiction is just as important as increased patrols.
"With the heroin and fentanyl epidemic that we're dealing with, there are ongoing problems associated with that," Chief Holm said. "Alcohol and alcohol abuse is obviously an issue when you're talking about this number of DUI's."
As central Sussex County grows, so does dangerous driving and efforts to stop it.
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