COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, has had a marked impact on virtually all aspects of life in Minnesota. It has led to significant unemployment, financial hardship, and a number of fatalities. As with other states, the pandemic has also had an impact on arrests and convictions – particularly for the offense of driving while intoxicated.
Like with many other states, the number of DWI arrests in Minnesota dropped dramatically once efforts to combat the virus went into place. However, this drop has not been steady or uniform across the months that followed.
There are a number of factors that have led this steep drop in DWI-related arrests. Stay at home orders and business closures are largely responsible. Many citizens are staying home, which has led to lower traffic levels than usual. Others lack options to drink in public in the first place. With many bars and restaurants closing or turning to takeout-only options following the outbreak, fewer people have had an outlet to imbibe alcohol away from home.
March 2020: An Immediate Drop
The stay-at-home order issued by Governor Tim Walz on March 27, 2020 was the first official state action that directly depressed the rate of DWI arrests. According to the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the last week of March saw a 70 percent drop in DWI arrests compared to the previous year. In the third weekend of the month alone, police only made 94 arrests for DWI across the state. The same weekend one year prior saw nearly 300 arrests.
Much of this phenomenon related to the lack of traffic throughout the state. In Minneapolis, the streets and public areas were largely empty throughout March. Business closures also played a large part in these drastically falling numbers.
May - June 2020: DWI Arrests Increase
In early June, Governor Tim Walz eased restrictions on bars and restaurants throughout the state. While this had the anticipated effect of increasing DWI arrests, the number of drunken driving offenses began increasing well before bars re-opened.
According to data from the OTS, the number of DWI arrests slowly climbed each week from the end of March through the first week of May. The first weekend in May marked a high point for DWI arrests since the Governor issued the March stay-at-home order. However, the number of arrests still fell below the mark set by police one year prior. At 164 arrests statewide, the first weekend of May was also below the 2019 average of 265 DWI arrests per weekend. Given that bars and restaurants had not yet reopened, this increase was likely due to the increased number of Minnesotans venturing out of their homes.
As expected, numbers continued to rise during the course of June. Beginning on June 10, 2020, bars and restaurants reopened throughout Minnesota. However, the capacity of these businesses was strictly limited under state law. Restaurants and bars are required to seat no more than 50 percent of their full capacity for indoor service, which significantly limits the number of people that could be potentially drinking in public on a given day or night. These restrictions coupled with the public’s general approach of staying home during the pandemic resulted in DWI arrests that were still well below the previous year’s average.
July 2020 to Present: Stable, But Low
From July onward, the number of DWI arrests throughout Minnesota seemed to somewhat stabilize. While the weekly numbers of arrests continued to rise in early July, they remained well below figures recorded during the previous year.
According to the OST, there were 2,117 DWI arrests across the state for the month of July. This marked a substantial decrease from the 2,543 DWI arrests registered in July of 2019. In total, it marked an approximate decrease of 17 percent. While notably lower than previous years, it pales in comparison to the 70 percent drop recorded in the week following the stay-at-home order.
Altogether, arrests for DWI were down from January through July compared to the previous year. During the first seven months of the year, law enforcement made
13,029 DWI arrests. This compares to the 16,029 arrests made during the same period in 2019. Together, that marks an approximate 19 percent decrease in DWI
arrests from the previous year. Given that DWI arrests in January and February represented an insignificant drop from the year before, it is clear the lower rate of arrests stems directly from the impact of the coronavirus. In fact, the number of DWI arrests in March of 2020 actually outpaced the previous year despite the stay- at-home order in the final days of the month.
What The Future Holds
There is no way for a
DWI Lawyer to predict what the future holds for DWI arrests and convictions. Conventional wisdom suggests that at some point, things will simply “go back to normal.” If that is the case, there is no reason to think the number of arrests for DWI throughout Minnesota won’t meet or exceed 2019 levels. There is always the chance that this pandemic alters the way people go about their daily lives, though. If enough people fail to return to their typical social circles when the pandemic ends, it could continue the trend of a diminished DWI arrest rate across the state.
No matter what happens, there is no question that the need for skilled
DWI Attorneys in Minnesota will persist. Holding the police accountable during DWI arrests remains
vital during a pandemic, and the same will be true when the pandemic comes to an end.
In fact, the accused need the guidance of seasoned legal counsel now more than ever. It is understandable that defendants facing a charge of DWI have questions and concerns regarding their legal rights during an outbreak. As attorneys, it is our job to advise our clients that the Constitution continues to protect them during a pandemic or otherwise. Likewise, it is our burden to help the client understand that coronavirus pandemic could dramatically alter the way their DWI case might proceed in terms of function or time.