An analysis of arrest logs by the Corrales Comment confirms the assumption. Comment staff found 10 DWI arrests between October and the end of December, and found just a single Corraleño who was charged. (Jesse Jones)
Corrales Mayor Fred Hashimoto recently told the community that a large proportion of DWI arrests in the village seemed to involve nonresident drivers.
Hashimoto said Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra corroborated his understanding of the matter.
An analysis of arrest logs by the Corrales Comment confirms the assumption. Comment staff found 10 DWI arrests between October and the end of December, and found just a single Corraleño who was charged.
Eight of the other suspects had Albuquerque addresses, while the 10th was a Rio Rancho man.
Several factors might explain the preponderance of out-of-town drivers showing up more frequently in DWI arrest logs.
Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra.
“Corrales has a fair amount of pass-through traffic between two cities with high populations, which is most likely the reason why non-residents account for a considerable portion of our DWI arrests,” Mangiacapra told the Comment.
He said a lot of drivers likely view Corrales Road, the village’s main drag, as preferable to State Route 528 or other busy thoroughfares, as it has no traffic signals.
“You might have to drive slower, but you have no signals to deal with,” Mangiacapra said.
He dismissed the notion that impaired drivers choose through Corrales out of a belief that they have a lower chance of being apprehended in the village.
“If they thought that far ahead, they wouldn’t drink and drive,” Mangiacapra said. “I think everybody knows how proactive we are with traffic enforcement in general, not just DWI.”
He said Corrales officers are actively looking for violations and will make traffic stops when they see them. Mangiacapra said officers generally issue citations in about half of traffic stops, reflecting a belief in both “educational encounters” and “enforcement encounters.”
He said DWIs are not subject to officer discretion: a zero-tolerance policy requires enforcement action.
Mangiacapra had no explanation for the rarity of Corraleños in the arrest logs.
“I’d like to think they’re being responsible,” he said. “Staying under the legal limit, designating a driver or finding other modes of transportation, such as Uber or Lyft.”
He said officers don’t get a lot of reports that indicate locals are walking home after having drinks at Corrales establishments.
Mangiacapra said Corrales residents aren’t getting treated differently.
“We don’t know their ZIP Code before we stop them,” he said, adding that it’s possible an officer could run the license plate of a suspicious vehicle.
Albuquerque residents dominate Corrales DWI arrest logs
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Corrales Mayor Fred Hashimoto recently told the community that a large proportion of DWI arrests in the village seemed to involve nonresident drivers.
Hashimoto said Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra corroborated his understanding of the matter.
An analysis of arrest logs by the Corrales Comment confirms the assumption. Comment staff found 10 DWI arrests between October and the end of December, and found just a single Corraleño who was charged.
Eight of the other suspects had Albuquerque addresses, while the 10th was a Rio Rancho man.
Several factors might explain the preponderance of out-of-town drivers showing up more frequently in DWI arrest logs.
“Corrales has a fair amount of pass-through traffic between two cities with high populations, which is most likely the reason why non-residents account for a considerable portion of our DWI arrests,” Mangiacapra told the Comment.
He said a lot of drivers likely view Corrales Road, the village’s main drag, as preferable to State Route 528 or other busy thoroughfares, as it has no traffic signals.
“You might have to drive slower, but you have no signals to deal with,” Mangiacapra said.
He dismissed the notion that impaired drivers choose through Corrales out of a belief that they have a lower chance of being apprehended in the village.
“If they thought that far ahead, they wouldn’t drink and drive,” Mangiacapra said. “I think everybody knows how proactive we are with traffic enforcement in general, not just DWI.”
He said Corrales officers are actively looking for violations and will make traffic stops when they see them. Mangiacapra said officers generally issue citations in about half of traffic stops, reflecting a belief in both “educational encounters” and “enforcement encounters.”
He said DWIs are not subject to officer discretion: a zero-tolerance policy requires enforcement action.
Mangiacapra had no explanation for the rarity of Corraleños in the arrest logs.
“I’d like to think they’re being responsible,” he said. “Staying under the legal limit, designating a driver or finding other modes of transportation, such as Uber or Lyft.”
He said officers don’t get a lot of reports that indicate locals are walking home after having drinks at Corrales establishments.
Mangiacapra said Corrales residents aren’t getting treated differently.
“We don’t know their ZIP Code before we stop them,” he said, adding that it’s possible an officer could run the license plate of a suspicious vehicle.
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