He also said North Dakota awards many grants to fund extra traffic enforcement for things like texting while driving and DUIs.

"In my 30 years in law enforcement with the Fargo PD, the No. 1 complaint is traffic," he said about why police here write more tickets. "It's not gangs, drugs or homicides here, which may be the case for other jurisdictions across the nation."

As for the high number of repeat DUIs and repeat license suspensions, he said the state's culture of drinking and its rural nature are probably big reasons why.

"DUI arrests are very unfortunate," Osmundson. "They are fully avoidable."

However, unlike places such as New Jersey or even Fargo, for example, rural areas don't have the abundance of public transportation or ride-sharing options like Uber, Lyft and taxis that drinkers can take home.

The deputy chief understands why people may want to have a few drinks while watching a ballgame or a concert, but he thinks there needs to be more education about setting limits and finding ways to get around without driving drunk.

He also suspects more people speed in North Dakota because of the low fines, if caught.