Officer Dan Hackett of the Santa Rosa Police Department -- No. 1 in DUI arrests in Sonoma County for 2011. Road Warrior photo
If you’re drinking and driving, Dan Hackett is looking for you. If he finds you, you’re going to jail.
The 34-year-old Santa Rosa police officer was No. 1 last year among Sonoma County officers in the number of DUI arrests with 112.
Hackett and 41 other officers from the county were honored in March by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and state Office of Traffic Safety for their efforts in DUI enforcement in 2011. No. 2 in DUI arrests in the county was Santa Rosa Officer Hiroshi Yaguchi with 70. Those 42 officers arrested a total of 1,502 DUI suspects.
Hackett grew up in Santa Rosa and became interested in law enforcement at Santa Rosa Junior College after taking a couple of Administration of Justice classes. From there he worked security for Santa Rosa Plaza and Coddingtown Shopping Center, working his way up to head of security for both malls. Then a little more than five years ago he joined the Santa Rosa police.
Hackett attributes his large number of DUI arrests to being one of SRPD’s accident investigators, with a special emphasis on looking for DUIs. It makes a difference: Hackett had only 29 DUI arrests in 2010 while assigned to beat patrol, which didn’t give him much time to target DUIs.
He also works Thursday through Sunday nights, so he’s on duty during the hours when more people are out drinking.
He often pays close attention to downtown Santa Rosa on Friday and Saturday nights, looking for the tell-tale signs of a possible intoxicated driver — a slower than normal response time while driving in traffic, slower to stop at red lights or stop signs or even driving right through them.
Hackett estimated about half of his DUI arrests resulted from routine traffic violations and the rest from stopping drivers for such things as weaving or going the wrong way. Some arrests resulted from his being called to investigate accidents and discovering that a driver is drunk.
Of his arrests, he said he believes most either have pled guilty or the cases are pending. None so far have gone to a jury trial and none have been thrown out, he said.
Hackett, who said he rarely drinks, offered this advice to those going out to drink:
–Take a cab there and back home. It’s a bit expensive but not as costly as getting a DUI and losing your license.
–Use a designated driver who doesn’t actually drink. He said it’s common for him to pull over a driver who proudly declares he’s the designated driver and has had only a couple of drinks. But in reality he’s had several and is drunk.
Hackett says he enjoys his assignment, noting DUIs are one of the few arrests in which he can say he’s actually may have prevented someone from getting injured or even killed.
Here’s a list of local officers honored by MADD for their DUI arrests in 2011:
–Santa Rosa Police Officer Dan Hackett with 112
–CHP Officer Christopher Manley, 25
–CHP Officer Thomas Barto, 25
–CHP Officer Brandon Archer, 26
–CHP Officer Crandon Kopriva, 27
–CHP Officer Brooks Faraco, 28
–CHP Officer Nenad Gorenec, 30
–CHP Officer Blair Hardcastle, 31
–CHP Officer Christopher Davidson, 33
–CHP Officer Tim Snyder, 38
–CHP Officer Michael Ball, 39
–CHP Officer Christopher Mullins, 42
–CHP Officer Anthony Dixon, 50
–CHP Officer Todd Heron, 51
–CHP Officer Greg White, 51
–CHP Officer Juan Inguanzo, 51,
–CHP Officer Matthew Masciorini, 53
–CHP Officer Marcus Hawkins, 53
–CHP Officer Arthur Hernandez, 57
–CHP Officer Cyril Ruffin, 58
–CHP Officer David Stewart, 60
–CHP Officer Thomas Herve, 67
–Cloverdale Police Officer Rachel Cardin, 10
–Cotati Police Officer Chris Kaupe, 21
–Healdsburg Police Officer Nadia Mohamed, 13
–Petaluma Police Officer Nick Raccanello, 25
–Rohnert Park Police Officer David Sutter, 7
–Rohnert Park Police Officer Keith Astley, 11
–Santa Rosa Police Officer Tim Wilhelm, 35
–Santa Rosa Police Officer Michael Mieger, 52
–Santa Rosa Police Officer Matt Sanchez, 58
–Santa Rosa Police Officer Hiroshi Yaguchi, 70
–Sebastopol Police Officer Nick Belliveau, 31
–Sebastopol Police Officer David Edney, 38
–Sebastopol Police Officer David Harston, 39
–Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Peters, 4
–Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Fuston, 18
–Sonoma Police Officer Jerid Heyne, 13
–Sonoma Police Officer Eric Smith, 13
–Windsor Police Officer Mike Mason, 12
–Windsor Police Officer John Gillette, 12
–Windsor Police Officer Don Fletcher, 13
To read about the top officers for DUI arrests in 2010, CLICK HERE.
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deb
Good job. We need more like him!
June 4th, 2012 7:31 pm
Anna
Thank you to Officer Hackett, and to all your brothers and sisters in LE, for all that you do, everyday.
June 4th, 2012 9:22 pm
Carol
Thank you for looking out for me and the rest of us that don’t drink and drive!
June 4th, 2012 9:40 pm
Makai
As a former bartender, itʻs about time the Police have stepped up looking for and prosecuting drunk drivers to the fullest extent of the law.
However, and having served drinks to off duty Police at a past local Santa Rosa ʻcop bar,ʻ Police should NOT be given a “get out of jail free card” after they too have been drinking to the point of illegal inebriation and driving. Way to often they have stumbled out of a bar, and driven, only to be escorted home while still driving by fellow on duty Officers.
There should be no ʻdouble standardʻ when it comes to driving drunk. Everybody should be prosecuted, no matter what your profession!
June 4th, 2012 10:10 pm
shirley zindler
Thanks to Dan and the other officers for helping to keep us safe. Several years ago a group of us parents picked up our daughters from high school volleyball practice. One mom didn’t make it home. She was killed by a repeat drunk driver on the same road I take every day. Her daughter, my daughters teammate, was seriously injured. When I pass that site I never fail to think of the kids left without a mother and the husband growing old without his wife. As an animal control officer, I’ve also picked up dogs from DUI accidents and arrests at all hours of the day and night. Often the people are normally upright citizens who made a very wrong choice. Don’t risk it.
Thanks again Dan! Every one of those drivers taken off the road could have been a fatal accident instead.
June 4th, 2012 10:47 pm
Rich Honsa
Great work ! And this is too all of you so let’s keep the ball rolling and thank you for your service.
June 5th, 2012 7:13 am
Peter
It will be better when cars can drive themselves.
June 5th, 2012 12:36 pm
wangofango
“However, and having served drinks to off duty Police at a past local Santa Rosa ʻcop bar,ʻ Police should NOT be given a “get out of jail free card” after they too have been drinking to the point of illegal inebriation and driving.”
When an acquaintance taking his oral exam for a Bay Area police department was asked that question of what to do with the inebriated cop stopped, and answered “take him in,”
he got the answer wrong.
June 10th, 2012 8:40 pm