AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Police Department will resume its weekly "No Refusal DWI Initiative" this weekend, officials said Friday.

The bolstered patrolling to curb drunk driving until recently was reserved for peak times for drunk driving when celebrations abound — the Christmas holiday season, New Year's Eve, holidays and major sporting events. But in recent times, the patrols have been undertaken each weekend in a move that appears permanent. What this means is that police are able to draw blood from motorists who decline sobriety tests. They accomplish this with on-the-spot search warrants secured by municipal judges.

The latest DWI-curbing initiative starts Friday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 28, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day, police said. The effort is meant to deter drunk driving, not an avenue for collecting ticket revenue, police reiterated. "No Refusal is not about making as many arrests as we can," Lt. Blake Johnson with APD's Highway Enforcement Unit said. "It's about keeping unsafe drivers off Austin roadways and keeping the public safe. No Refusal ensures that we have solid blood alcohol content evidence of every arrest and as such enhances our ability to prosecute people who drive drunk and put others in danger."

