The Driving Under the Influence Program (DUI) has been operational within Northampton County since 1984. It was originally established in response to the adoption of a new State law, which was intended to deal more efficiently with motorists who drink and drive. The program offices are located on the eastern side of the Northampton County Government complex, within the Criminal Administration Building, which also houses the departments of Adult Probation and Pretrial Services. The DUI Program employs nine (9) full time persons consisting of the Director, five (5) probation officers and three (3) support staff.

The goals of our program are to strive to maintain our fiscally self-supporting status and to play a leading role within the Criminal Justice community, as well as within the community at large, regarding the issues of Driving Under the Influence. The program generated revenues for the calendar year 2005 in the amount of $1,026,981.64, while spending only 97% of its total budget in the amount of $860,460.49, thus posting a net revenue overage of $166,521.15. This program continues to view the collection of Court costs, fines, and restitution as a significant part of probation and parole supervision, as well as an important factor in the rehabilitation of the offender.

The DUI Program is primarily responsible for the active probation/parole supervision of all DUI offenders sentenced by the Northampton County Court. Those offenders include persons participating in the ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) Program, for first time offenders. In 2005, the ARD component of the DUI Program screened 832 individuals to determine their eligibility for an ARD disposition. That number represents the first decrease in applicants in five years and an 11% drop from 2004. Of those screened, 778 were admitted into the ARD Program and were placed on ARD/DUI probation, each for a period of six months. In addition to the Pennsylvania State mandated requirements of a CRN evaluation and attendance at the Alcohol Highway Safety Program, 702 or 90% of all 2005 ARD participants were referred for follow up outpatient counseling. The breakdown of treatment referrals is as follows: Intervention groups – in county (171), out of county (160), psycho-educational programs (322), intensive outpatient treatment (8), continuation in present treatment (33), and D&A or MH/MR evaluations (8).

The active parole supervision of all non-ARD first time offenders as well as second and third time offenders is conducted by the DUI Probation Officers upon the completion of the offender’s mandatory minimum prison sentence. The DUI Program received 375 new parole case assignments in 2005, which represents an increase of 6% over the previous year. Of those cases, 192 were first offenses, 158 were second offenses, and 29 were third offenses. It should also be noted that, due to the increased penalties under the new DUI Statute, 28 of those cases received the statutory maximum sentence of five years based upon their high BAC and the findings of their mandatory Drug and Alcohol Evaluations. Lastly, we received requests for courtesy supervision of 55 parolees who were county residents convicted of DUI offenses outside of Northampton County.

DUI Court Day Offenders waiting in line to pay their fines. (Morning Call photo, Pete Shaheen, photographer)

The DUI Program continued to administer the County’s two DUI Central Processing Centers, during 2005, in conjunction with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department. The first of these centers is located within the Bethlehem Police Department headquarters and is currently in its 19th year of operation. The second center is located adjacent to our Program offices, within the County Court Complex in Easton, Pa., and is entering its sixth year of operation. The centers currently employ approximately forty (40) part-time persons and, although the majority of the operations of both centers are on an on-call basis, both sites are open and staffed from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

During the calendar year 2005, a total of 1,354 suspected DUI offenders were processed by our centers, 774 at our Bethlehem site, and 580 in Easton. That total number represents the highest number of persons ever processed in a calendar year within Northampton County. It also represents an increase of 19% over our 2004 figures. In addition, it should be noted that in 2005, as in the previous three years, the average blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of those individuals processed by the centers was slightly greater than 0.19%, or nearly two and one half times the legal limit. In 2005, one person tested at .40% or greater, thirty one (31) tested at .30% or greater, two hundred and sixty one (261) tested at .20% or greater, and one hundred and eighteen (118) persons refused to submit to a blood draw. Lastly, it should be noted that at the end of 2005 the operation of the processing centers was officially turned over to the Northampton County District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Departments as an initial step towards the implementation of a county-wide centralized booking system.

The DUI Program has placed an emphasis on community involvement as a preventative measure since its inception. Staff members continue to be active within the community providing presentations to numerous civic groups and schools in the Lehigh Valley, as well as participation at various local health and employment fairs. We continue our memberships in the Pennsylvania DUI Association, Lehigh Valley – Team DUI, and the Northampton County Chiefs of Police Association. In addition, due to the numerous changes to the DUI Statute in February 2004, our Program, in conjunction with the District Attorney’s Office, has provided ongoing informational/training sessions to law enforcement agencies and the Northampton County Bar Association. Lastly, we continue to host the Pennsylvania Standard Field Sobriety Training offered to local enforcement agencies. It continues to be the objective of all those involved with the DUI Program to provide an excellent level of service to the Court and to our clients, while at the same time taking the lead in DUI related issues in Northampton County.

Court Divisions & Operations