After what was called “another disappointing weekend,” York Regional Police has announced it will now publicly name those charged with criminal driving offenses related to impairment.
Police issued a news release on Monday, noting “16 drivers were charged with 27 impaired-related criminal driving charges” over the weekend.
York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said the force’s decision to name the drivers charged is “the next step to try to curb this distressing trend.”
“It’s clear that something has to change,” Jolliffe said in the release. “Effective immediately, York Regional Police will name all of the drivers charged with impaired-related criminal driving offences, to further make impaired driving socially unacceptable and so that members of our community can assist with notifying police if these offenders choose to drive while under suspension.”
In mid-November, York Regional Police said it had arrested five drivers on a Thursday evening for impaired driving.
“Innocent lives are put at risk every day by this irresponsible and criminal behavior,” Jolliffe said. “We are not giving up.”
The names will be released every Monday on yrp.ca, police said.
The first suspect named under this new initiative is a 32-year-old man who was charged in connection with an incident that occurred at around 10 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Officers were called to the area of Joshua Court, near Clark Avenue, in Richmond Hill for a report of a suspicious vehicle that was parked for over an hour, blocking a resident’s driveway.
As officers approached the vehicle, it began to drive away.
Police said that when they stopped the vehicle, they spotted a half-full bottle of vodka in the centre console. The driver smelled of alcohol.
The suspect has been identified by York Regional Police as Toronto-resident Alexander Kostenberg. He has been charged with impaired driving and over 80.
The charges have not been proven in court.
York Regional Police said it has laid more than 1,400 charges for impaired-related driving offences in 2018. They also said that five people have lost their lives due to collisions where alcohol or drug impairment were factors.
