DWI arrest rate worries Hispanic leaders

Gary L. Wright:

Nearly one of every five motorists arrested last year in North Carolina for driving while impaired was Hispanic. In Mecklenburg County, one of every four DWI suspects was Hispanic.

Police and Hispanic leaders are troubled by the numbers, which have more than tripled in just seven years -- and far exceed the percentage of Latinos in the state.

Hispanic leaders say too many Latinos, most of them male, are drinking and driving -- and, too often, dying -- because they don't fully understand the law or the danger.

In 1997, the 3,698 Hispanics charged with DWI represented 5 percent of the more than 78,000 arrests in North Carolina.

Last year, 12,039 Hispanics were charged with DWI. That's 19 percent of the nearly 62,000 arrests statewide. Hispanics make up an estimated 6 percent of the state's population.

"That's a tremendous shock," said Angeles Ortega-Moore, executive director of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte. "There's too much drinking and driving going on.

"The Latino community is over-represented in DWI charges. That's a bad place to be over-represented."

The percentage of Hispanics being arrested for DWI in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County has increased at an even faster pace.

In 2000, the 225 Hispanics arrested countywide represented 6 percent of the more than 4,000 DWI arrests. Last year, the 913 DWI charges against Hispanics accounted for 25 percent of the more than 3,500 arrests. Hispanics make up about 8 percent of Mecklenburg's population.

"Those are some alarming and frightening statistics," Mecklenburg Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow said. "Drunk drivers are a threat to kill on our highways."

In South Carolina, more than 1,000 Hispanics were arrested for driving under the influence in both 2002 and 2003. That represented about 9 percent of the drunken driving arrests each of those years. Latinos make up about 3 percent of South Carolina's population.

Hispanic leaders say many who drink and drive are young, single men whose families are still in Latin America. Some feel isolated and turn to alcohol in part because of a lack of social activities.

In Mecklenburg County during the past five years, 3,845 Hispanics have been charged with DWI. All but 54 were men.

Armando Ortiz-Rocha, consul of Mexico in Raleigh, sees the death toll drinking and driving causes among the more than 500,000 Mexican immigrants in both Carolinas.

Each year for the last three years, Ortiz-Rocha said, the Mexican consulate has helped return the bodies of 300 Mexicans who have died in the Carolinas. Half of those deaths were the result of alcohol-related vehicle accidents.

"Drinking and driving is a great concern for the Mexican government," Ortiz-Rocha said. "Too many Mexicans are losing their lives because of this combination of drinking and driving."

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