A trooper has made Maryland State Police history by breaking the record for the number of DUI arrests made in a year.
For the past four years, Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace has made at least 100 DUI arrests each year, thus breaking a statewide record for the Maryland State Police. Prior to 2017, TFC Wallace and one other trooper on the SPIDRE team were the only ones who had surpassed 100 DUI arrests for three consecutive years.
While working targeted enforcement with the SPIDRE team this past weekend, TFC Wallace made his 100th DUI arrest for the year in Baltimore County and he is on point to make more as the New Year approaches. TFC Wallace makes on average, 120 to 140 impaired driving arrests annually as a member of the State Police Impaired DRiving Effort, or SPIDRE team.
After graduating in the 140th Maryland State Police Academy Class in December 2013, TFC Wallace was assigned as a road patrol trooper to the Golden Ring Barrack where he quickly demonstrated his ability to locate impaired drivers on Maryland roads. Within his first six months, he was recruited by the SPIDRE team, an elite team of state troopers focused on reducing the number of alcohol related crashes in Maryland.
Funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Highway Safety Office, the SPIDRE team was the first of its kind on the east coast and has proven to be extremely effective. The team is deployed in areas of Maryland with high crash rates involving impaired drivers. The goal is simple – to find and arrest alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers before they cause crashes. To date, the team has been responsible for more than 7,600 traffic stops, resulting in over 2,500 DUI arrests since inception in May 2013.
SPIDRE is not alone. In the counties in which these troopers have deployed, they have been joined by officers from county police agencies to help increase the overall DUI enforcement presence. The SPIDRE team is dedicated to reaching the state’s goal of zero deaths on Maryland roadways. Officials warn that with the upcoming New Year’s holiday, there is an increase of parties and other celebrations where impairment may occur. To keep Maryland residents and visitors safe, the SPIDRE team will be out in full force over the holiday weekend.
