Calgary police launched their first traffic stop of the holiday Saturday night on Stoney Trail near the Tsuu T'ina Nation.
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Working with members of the Alberta Sheriffs, RCMP and Tsuu T'ina Nation Police, members of the Calgary Police Department administered breathalyzer tests to drivers, including a familiar figure: Santa Claus.
Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, who has been a police officer for 33 years, said it was a first for him.
"This is the first time in all my traffic stops that I've seen Santa come through, so I thought we'd find out if he was on the bad list or the good list — and he was definitely on the good list, folks," Mr. Neufeld said.
Mr. Neufeld was on hand to encourage traffic enforcement officers and speak to the media in celebration of National Impaired Driving Day. While traffic disruptions are common during the holiday season, Neufeld acknowledged that the use of cannabis and other drugs has made it more difficult to assess potentially intoxicated drivers.
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"It's not just alcohol we're screening for now, it's drugs of all kinds, including marijuana, which is harder to screen for," he added, "but we've got officers that are recognition experts and we've got the tools here, to figure out who's naughty and who's nice."
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"It's definitely added complexity," Neufeld said.
When it comes to the delayed effects of drugs, Neufeld said someone who's experimenting with them has a simple decision to make.
"We encourage people not to drive if they're experimenting with drugs and other things," he said.
A "huge" impact.
Aaron Libby, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Calgary, said the impact of such high-visibility traffic to kick off the holiday season was "huge."
"Especially for us drunk driving victims and survivors," Libby added. "We do a lot of support for drink driving and reinforce the idea of 'getting home safe and sober.' "
"It just reinforces the same common goal: ending drunk driving," he added. "Tonight, 39 officers are on the ground.
"That's the largest number I've seen in years."
Libby said about 1,200 breath samples were administered at two different locations over a four-hour period Saturday night.
Both Neufeld and Libby highlighted alternatives to drunk driving that anyone going to a holiday event should consider, including taxis, Uber or designated drivers.
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