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Saturday, July 2, 2005 New DWI interlock law will have a positive effect, police chief believesAOLMSTED A new state law that cracks down on drunken driving offenders will have an affect in Socorro. New Mexico is the first state in the nation to require all DWI offenders to use ignition interlock devices on their cars Socorro Police Chief Joel Haley said even first-time offenders will need to have the interlock. A press release from Gov. Bill Richardson's office said repeat offenders will face stiffer penalties as well. A person convicted of a second DWI offense will need to keep the interlock on their vehicle for two years, a third conviction means the offender must have the interlock for three years and a four-time offender must use the interlock for the rest of their lives. Haley said that in the past, police have seen the ignition interlock on some cars in Socorro, but said that now he expects to see a significant increase in that number. The chief said if the interlock is used the way it is supposed to be used, it will have a positive affect on the community. "Absolutely it's going to help because it's going to be an inconvenience for the people who are affected by it," he said. Haley said that in the past three years, the Socorro Police Department has made between 115 and 120 DWI arrests, but said not all of those led to convictions. The ignition interlock, the release said, is a device that uses a computer chip to measure a driver's breath alcohol level. Offenders must pay for installation costs and monitoring of the devices, totaling about $1,000 per year. "We hope that (offenders) will use the devices as they are intended and not find ways around the system," Haley said.
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