Incentives for DUI arrests
Similar to DA Chambers' cash for convictions program in Colorado, law enforcement across the state of South Carolina are rewarded with incentives based on who makes the most DUI arrests. Not convictions or good cases, just arrests:
During the sixth annual DUI Enforcement Recognition Ceremony, the state public safety agency, which includes the state Highway Patrol, named the police force in the Charleston County town of Mount Pleasant as Agency of the Year among departments of at least 101 officers. They made 437 DUI arrests.Other local police agencies recognized Wednesday were the Richland County Sheriff’s Department with four officers and the Cayce and town of Lexington departments, each with three.
In the past, South Carolina law enforcement officers have been awarded prizes such as Dodge Chargers and Chevy Tahoes based on how many arrests they make over the course of a year. DUI enforcement is a profitable business for law enforcement, for municipalities, and for organizations such as MADD. Law enforcement receives grant money to make arrests for driving under the influence, and prosecutors receive grant money for prosecuting DUI's, which does not necessarily translate into effective DUI enforcement - it can just as easily translate into an unforeseeable number of law abiding citizens being harassed on the roadside, jailed, and in some cases forced to trial.
When police officers are competing for recognition or even material rewards based on the number of arrests that they make, they are going to err on the side of arresting and any practical use of discretion that there once was has now gone out of the window. When grant money creates law enforcement jobs solely for the purpose of making DUI arrests, the number of arrests that those officers make justifies their existence and their paychecks. When in doubt, lock them up.
